Tuyen Tap Truyen Rat Ngan

8/12/2019 Tuyen Tap Truyen Rat Ngan

1/22

TUYN TP TRUYN RT NGNTc gi: Thch Nht TDch gi: Nguyn Gic

A Collection of Very Short StoriesBy Thch Nhat Tu

Translated into English by Tam Dieu and Nguyen Giac

AUTHOR:Thng Ta Tin S Thch Nht T

Ph vin trng, Hc vin Pht gio Vit Nam ti TP. HCM

Tng bin tp Tp Ch o Pht Ngy NayTRANSLATORS:C s Tm Diu

Ch bin trang mng Pht gioTh Vin Hoa Sen -http://thuvienhoasen.org/

C s Nguyn GicNh th, ngi vit truyn ngn

Ven. Dr. Thich Nhat TuDeputy Rector of the Vietnam Buddhist University, HCMC Campus

Editor-in-Chief of Buddhism Today MagazineLayperson Tam Dieu

Editor-in-Chief of the Buddhist website:Th Vin Hoa Sen -http://thuvienhoasen.org/Layperson Nguyen Giac

A poet and short story teller*
http://thuvienhoasen.org/http://thuvienhoasen.org/http://thuvienhoasen.org/http://thuvienhoasen.org/http://thuvienhoasen.org/http://thuvienhoasen.org/


2/22

ENGLI SH VIETNAMESE

Several Ways to Use a Raft

Before reaching the other river bank, the noble spiritualmaster struggled to overcome the hardship: it was hard to

move around with the rising flood tides, and thus itseemed impossible to cross the river.

After six years of practicing with all methods, includingascetic way, the master finally got enlightened, completedhis spiritual quest and crossed all the rugged waterfalls ofthis side.

Feeling compassion for people living with no clear futureat the other shore, the master worked hard to makehundreds of rafts with different shapes and colors to offer

help for them.

Those who came from other shore to receive the raftsincluded many poets, artists, tourists, interior decorators,salespersons and monks.

Many people, however, did not want to have a ratf to crossthe river; they felt happy with the flooding river and darednot to dream further their current conditions.

Thank you Master for your compassion, a tourist said

while gazing at a raft. This raft is so beautiful. He gavepraises, put his luggage onto the raft, traveled here andthere on the rivers till death, and never thought of crossingto the other shore.

The river stretching to the blue skyso much beautiful,a poet said while he stepped onto the raft, paddled aroundyears and months and tirelessly enjoyed the cool breezeand blue moon. Traveling on the raft among the scenicview, he and his colleagues made hundreds of loving andsoulful poems.

This good raft will be more beautiful if I decorate if, aninterior designer thought, then he spent several days to buymaterials to make the raft look like a marvelous castlefloating on the river. He and his wife and children werevery happy to live in the raft that was decorated by hisartful hands. He and his family did not paddle far, just

Cc Cch S Dng Chic B

Trc khi sang c b bn kia sng, v o s caothng tng b con sng lm cho kh ly: no l

nc lt ca sng dng ln qu cao khng th vnchuyn y d dng v nht l khng th vt sangb kia sng c.

Sau su nm cng phu tu tp, bng mi phng php,k c phng php kh hnh p xc, cui cng v os gic ng, thnh tu o qu, vt qua khi thcl ca sng bn ny.

V thng tng n nhng ngi cn li bn kiasng sng trong tnh trng khng bit n ngy mai,

khng qun gian kh lm hng trm chic b vi kchc hnh th v mu sc khc nhau, gi tng cho nhngngi cn bn kia sng.

Trong s nhng ngi bn kia sng n nhn cc chib, c cc nh thi s, nh ha s, nh du lch y, nhtrang tr ni tht, nh thng bun v cc tu sna.

Nhng c nhiu ngi khng thm nhn b sangsng v h cm thy hi lng vi tnh trng l lt casng m khng cht bn tm m tng g cao xa hn

tnh trng sng hin nay ca h.

"Cm n v o s c lng thng tng," nh dulch trm tr nhn chic b ri ni. "Chic b p tht.ng khen nc n, ri cht hnh l ln b, i du lch y trn vng sng nc cho n cui i m khngbn lng cho sang b bn sng.

"Cnh tr sng nc gip tri xanh tht l tuyt!" nhth tc cnh sanhtnh, ln thuyn cng bn b thngngon gi mt trng thanh trn sng nc c nm ny

sang thng n, m khng chn. Nh chic b v cnhtr p, ng v bn b ng thuyn vi ng sng tchng trm bi th tnh t c hn v su sc.

"Chic b tt ny s tuyt p nu ta trang tr thm chn!" nh trang tr ni tht thm ngh ri b ra nhiungy mua thm nhiu vt liu trang hong cho chic bging nh mt ta lu i lng ly di ng trn sng


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stayed around this shore.

Thank the master for your generosity, a salespersonthought. I will become rich with this good raft, when Itake the tourist to travel around, he dreamed. Then he

made a lot of money with his job as a tour guide on thevast and beautiful river.

The scenic view is so much beautiful. I have to make apainting, an artist, while ignoring the raft, sat on the riverbank and sketched on paper a raft traveling on vast river.His painting was so wonderful that it was auctioned offwith very high price.

I have to reach the other shore and await for other peopleto cross the river, a monk said, stepped onto the raft,

invited many people to follow him and paddled hard. Afterreaching other shore, the monk gazed the helpful raft,pushed it back to other shore and silently wished,Wishing you could take many more people to thispeaceful shore. Then he continued onwards.

Some travelers who had been on the same raft with themonk said, We have to keep this raft for souvernircollection. Why do we have to discard it? I helped us alot.

Why do we have to keep it as souvenir? We should carryit home and worship it, a person said.

A very sound suggestion, the crowd clamored andpraised. You said correctly.

While they lifted the raft onto their shoulders, the monkalready left out of sight. The crowd quietly watched eachother, then looked at the other shore where the poets,artists, salespersons and interior designers on theirrafts were struggling with the strong winds and high tides,

whle others without rafts were swept away in the floodwaters.

nc. ng v v con v cng hnh phc trn chic bc bn tay kho lo ca ng chm sc. ng v gnh khng cho thuyn i xa m ch quanh qun bb ny.

"Cm n v o s tt bng!" nh thng bun thmngh ri m tng, "ta s lm giu bng chic b ttny, a ngi du lch y v a ngi sangsng!" Ri ng sng v lm giu bng ci ngh chngi i y thng ngon cnh sng nc baola di tri trong xanh tuyt p.

"Cnh tr tht l tuyt vi! Ta phi v cnh nn thny!" nh ha s, khng thm nhn chic b, thong thngi xung trn b sng, ly giy v bt ra v cnhchic b ngao du trn sng nc bao la. Tranh ca anh

tuyt vi n ngi ta bn u gi rt cao.

"Ta phi sang sng, cn ch ngi khc sang sngna," v tu s vi v ln trn chic b v mi nhiungi cng ln, nhanh tay cho sang sng. Sau khisang sng, ngm nhn chic b gip mnh thot l,ng th chic b tr li bn kia b, ri khng qunthm nguyn: "mong sao mi ch thm nhiu ngisang sng na nh!" Ni xong, ng tip tc ln ng

Mt s hnh khch i cng b vi ng t v bt mn,

ni: "Chng ta phi gi chic b ny lm k nim. Tisao chng ta li b n? N gip chng ta nhiu lm!"

"Ti sao ch gi lm k nim, chng ta hy cngnhau vc v nh m th ch," mt ngi khc bt nv ln ting ngh.

"C l lm!" c m ng ha theo ri khen, "anh ning!"

Trong khi h cng nng chic b ln vai, v tu s i

mt dng. m ng lng l nhn nhau, ri nhn v bkia sng thy cnh cc nh thi s, nh ha s, nhthng bun, nh trang tr ni tht ang chng chnhtrn mt nc phong ba trc cn gi d, v ri nhnthy cnh nhng ngi khng c b ang ln hp v bsng nc cun tri!

Praying for Blessing from the Goddess of Sam Ly B Cha Sam Ph H


4/22

Mountain

In the yearly sacred season of the Goddess of SamMountain, thousands of people come to her shrine in ChauDoc Province to pray, asking for help to be successful in

business, and to have a healthy baby. Some offeredprayers and asked for protection from bad luck, and forhigher positions in government. And so many otherwishes.

In the crowds coming to the shrine, there was a youngBuddhist who believed in the law of cause and effect, anddisbelieved the blessing power of the so-called angelsfrom other religions.

When he came to the gate of the shrine, a crowd of

children swarmed around him. A child said to him, Dearolder brother, please buy some lottery tickets from me.The Goddess here is so awesome; you will have what youask for.

My lottery tickets are more powerful. I prayed her thismorning and asked her to turn my tickets into big winners.Please buy from me! Another child said to the youngBuddhist.

Dear my older brother, another child intercepted.

Please buy from me. In this whole yearly sacred season, Ikeep a vegetarian diet. I have prayed the Goddess everyday. Many of my customers already became millionaires.

The young Buddhist felt sorry for the kids, bought alottery ticket from each of them, and said gently, Thusyou all must be millionaires before them, right?

The children thought for a while, and glanced at eachother... until the Buddhist faded away at the bottom of thehill.

n ma va B Ni Sam, Chu c, hng ngn ngl lt ko nhau v ly B, cu mua may, bn c, lmn thnh t v sinh con theo mun. Nhiu ngi ccu B ph h cho c tai qua nn khi, thng quantin chc. V cn nhiu iu van xin, cu nguyn thm

kn khc na.

Trong s nhng on ngi n ving n B c mtv Pht t tr tui, vn tin nguynl duyn khi vkhng tin vo quyn lc ban phc, ging ho ca ththnh ca cc tn gio khc.

Va bc n cng n, nm by em trai bn v sxm quanh anh. Mt a trong nhm mi rao: Anh mua v s i. B y linh lm: cu g c ny.

"V s ca em linh hn anh . Sng nay em ly Bv cu cho ngi mua trng s c c. Mua gim emi! Mt a khc xen vo.

"Anh i, mt a khc ngt li, Hy mua ca em. Cma va B nm nay, em n chay. Ngy no cng lyB ph h. Ngi mua v sca em tr thnh triuph nhiu lm. B phn bua.

Anh Pht t thng l tr con ngho kho, mua u cmi em mt t v s, ri t tn ni: Nh vy, cc em

phi l nhng ngi tr thnh triu ph trc tinch!?

Bn tr suy ngh hi lu, ri lic nhn nhau ng ngc .. cho n lc anh Pht t mt dng t pha chn i.

God Had to Win the Election

After a nation on earth had celebrated the election of aPresident and members of the Senate and the House ofRepresentatives, hundreds of millions people swarmedaround statues and pictures of God and said, We dontrecognize you. We want you to be elected.

Thng Phi c C

Sau ngy cng b kt qu bu c tng thng v hai tthng v h ngh vin ca quc gia tri t, hng trmtriu ngi vy qun bn tng v hnh ca Thng v ni: Chng con khng tha nhn Ngi. Chng conmun Ngi c c!


5/22

From the high clouds, God heard the outcries, feltunhappy, and then assigned the Kitchen God to surveywhy human beings didnt recognize him.The Kitchen Godtraveled by airplane to earth to survey the opinions. Afterstepping out of the airplane, the Kitchen God fell down

amidst the swarms of people who were carrying gifts andflowers and heading toward a landing helicopter.

The Kitchen God rose up and asked an old traveler, Whydo the hurry so? Who is getting great hospitality overthere?

You are so weird! The old traveler told the KitchenGod. The just-elected senator comes over there, andmany people think he would become a governor of thisstate in a near election. They bring gifts and flowers to

welcome him. I am doing so, too.

Really? The Kitchen God disappointedly said.

Then he sadly came out of the airport, heading toward ataxi counter where he could prepay for a taxi.

I want to buy a taxi fare to the Holy Shrine of the earth,the Kitchen God told the counter clerk.

Sorry, Sir! No taxi today! The clerk explained. All the

taxi drivers have to join a meeting to elect the president ofthe taxi union.

But, customers are gods... the Kitchen God complainedand tried to convince the clerk.

No way, Sir, the clerk said, and joyfully explainedElection is the most important event these days. Theelected president of an organization is very powerful.After winning this election, he or she could win thesenatorial election and then the governorship election...

Disappointedly, the Kitchen God boarded a bus to theHoly Shrine of the earth, where he came at 9:30pm andsaw only the police officers, not believers, line stretchingfrom the gate to the main hall with their loaded guns andsophisticated bomb detectors.

Why do you block the believers from going into the

T my tng my xanh, Thng nghe thu c lku ca, cm thy khng vui, bn cho To qun xungtrn nghin cu ti sao thin h khng tha nhn ngiTo qun vng lnh p my bay xung a cu thm d kin. Va bc xung my bay, To qun b

m ng mang y hoa thm v qu chen ln v lmng t ng. m ng ht h i nhanh v pha chitrc thng c nhn va h cnh.

To qun bn ln ngi dy ri hi mt ngi hnhkhch gi, Ti sao h vi v n th? H n ai vy?

"Anh ng ngn qu!" Ngi hnh khch gi ni viTo qun. "ng thng ngh vin va c c n!"Ngi hnh khch ni tip, "ng y s c th tr thnthng c ca mt bang trong vi tun bu c sp ti.

H mang hoa v qu ti cho n ng. Ti cng vy!"

"Th !" To qun ni mt cch tht vng.

Ni xong, To qun bun b i ra khi sn bay, hngv quy Taxi tr-tin-trc.

"Bn cho ti mt v i n n Thnh a ca tri t,To qun ni vi ngi bn v.

"Xin li anh, hm nay khng c Taxi!" Ngi bn v

gii thch. "Tt c ti x u bn hp bu chn vch tch ca cng on Taxi."

"Nhng khch hng l Thng kia m!" To qunphn nn v c gii thch.

"Ch c ngha l g!" Ngi bn hng p li. "Bu cl quan trng hn ht ca ngy nay. Chc ch tch hion rt c quyn uy. Khi c c chc v ny, ngich tch c th c c chc thng ngh vin v rithng c na v.v" Ngi bn hng vui v gii thc

V cng tht vng, To qun nh n xe bus i vThnh a ca tri t. Ti ni 9.30 ti. Thay v thtn , To qun ch thy ton cnh st tri di tcng vo trong n; trn tay h ton l v kh ti tn vc my mc pht hin v bo cht n t xa.

"Ti sao cc anh khng cho tn vo n cu nguyn


6/22

Shrine to pray God? The Kitchen God asked the policechief.

Oh, you dont know that the just-elected President iscoming here, the police chief said.

The entrance of the Shrine will be closed at 10pm, whenthe God has to go to bed. The time now is 9:30pm. If thePresident cannot come before 10pm, what would happenthen? He would disappoint and go back home, right? TheKitchen God said.

Its okay! The police chief replied. Its a normal thingto miss an event; however, the God must be waiting forthe President. The God wont sleep until he meet and giveblessings to the just-elected President.

God has to wait for a worldly person? The Kitchen Godcomplained. Why does God have to wait for a worldlyperson? The Kitchen God slipped some more words ofdispleasure.

Worldly! The police chief hardened his voice. Youdared to say that the President was a worldly person! ThePresident was elected by voters; he must be supreme. Godhas to wait for him, even if he comes late.

The Kitchen God thought over and over about thosearguments, and started doubting on the concepts of theworldly and the Creator God. The Kitchen God felt noneed to enter the Shrine or exchange words with thepeople waiting in front of the gate; he sadly returned to theheaven.

Dear His Holiness, my Creator God! The Kitchen Godwrapped his armes around his chest and said to the God, Iust returned here from the world. I think the worldly

people have reasonable correct ideas. You have to be

elected by votes.

Elected? The God showed unhappiness. You said thatI need to be elected by votes.

A worldly person who got elected by votes transformedhimself into the God of the worldly, and then becamemore powerful than His Holiness the Creator God. That

Thng ?" To qun cht vn anh cnh st trng.

"Anh khng bit sao, ngi tng thng va c c cachng ta s n!" V cnh st trng t tn tr li.

"Nhng ca n s ng vo lc 10 gi ti, khi yThng phi i ng. By gi 9.30 gi ri. Nutng thng khng ti trc 10 gi th chuyn g s xyra? H phi i v trong v vng !" To qun ct vn.

"C g u!" V cnh st trng tr li. "Thin h phv l chuyn thng thi!" Anh ni tip. "Thng phi ch tng thng. Ngi s khng i ng cho n khtip v ban phc cho v tng thng mi c c ny!"Anh t tin gii thch.

"Thng phi ch mt ngi phm tc!" To qunbt mn than. "Ti sao Thng phi ch ngiphm ch!" To qun bung nh thm mt cu trchmc.

"Phm tc!" V cnh st trng gng ging. "Anh dmbo tng thng l ngi phm tc ! Tng thng lngi c dn bu. Tng thng l ti thng. Thn phi ch ng, nu ng c n tr!" V cnh sttrng khng nh.

To qun suy ngh hi lu v cu ni trn, ri bt unghi ng v khi nim phm tc v Thng . Khngcn vo nv khng cn hi thm kin thin h vcc tn ng ngoi cng n, To qun bun b trv tri.

"Ly Ngi, Thng ca con!" ng knh cn khoanhtay trc Thng tha, "Con va tr v t tri tv con thy rng thin h ni ng v h c l."To qun khng nh, "Ngi phi c c!"

"c c!" Thng khng vui bo, "Ngi bo sao,ta phi c c !"

"Ngi phm c c tht s tr nn ti thng hnNgi v tr thnh Thng ca loi ngi!" Toqun tr li. "y l iu con hc c t tri t!"To qun khng khi kt lun.


7/22

was I learned from the worldly, the Kitchen God repliedwith those assertive wors.

Brought into Heaven

An aging Buddhist sadly visited many temples, and asked

the monks why so many bad things happened to her, whohas done a lot of good things for society. For mostly everycharitable trip she took, an accident or a bad event wouldhappen to her.

Dear Master! She respectfully said to a high monk.Why does my life have so many bad things, especiallywhile I was joining a charitable trip. For a small thing Ihelped people, a small accident happened to me; for alarge scale one, a bigger accident happened. Seemingly,the law of cause and effect, and the law of right and wrong

did not exist. Why did the Buddha and the bodhisattvasnot help the philanthropists?

Her tears fell over her wrinkled face where she still hadsome blood-stained scratches from a car accident in one ofher largest charitable trips last month.

Dear old lady. Calm your mind, please. The high monksaid. We are monks, who are considered as field of meritsin the three realms. Many of us entered the temples as achild, studied the scriptures, meditated daily, did so many

good things for society, and still got illness and badincidents.

Dear old lady! The high monk continued. The karma orthe cause-and-effect process is not the fruits of this onelifetime. It is a chain of interacting events in manylifetimesin the past, the present and the future.

The high monk explained, The bad incidents we have inthis lifetime are the bitter fruits from the bad seeds andbad trees we planted in past lives. The charitable things

you do today are the good seeds sown in the land wheremany bad trees and fruits from past lives are growing;while the good seeds are still immature, the bad seedsfrom past lives now turn into bitter fruits... Believe me.You surely will have good merits, either in this lifetime orlater.

The old lady folded her hands, bowed to the high monk,

c Rc v bn Phm Thin

Mt v pht t ln tui bun b tm n nhiu cha

hi v sao b lm nhiu vic t thin x hi m vn bnhiu tai ng, nn ch. Hu nh mi chuyn t thinu em li cho b mt s c, mt tai nn.

"Knh bch thy!" B cung knh tha vi mt vthng ta, "Sao i con lun gp nn, nht l trongkhi lm t thin. Lm t thin nh th con gp tai nnnh. Lm t thin ln th con gp tai nn ln." B hging t cu hi, "Th khng c nhn qu thin csao? Hay Pht v B-tt khng ph h ngi lmlnh?"

B ngn ngo ri nc mt, trn i m gy g cnrm mu m do tai nn b lt xe trong mt chuyn tthin ln nht trong i b, thng va ri.

"C hy bnh tm!" V thng ta an i, "Chng ti ltu s, nhng ngi c xem l rung phc ca i,tu hnh t nh n ln, lm bit bao vic lnh li chcho nhn qun x hi, m vn b gp tai ng v bnhtt."

"C !" V thng ta dy tip, "Nghip bo hay nhnqu o c khng ch lhoa tri ca mt i ngi.N l mt chui tng quan v cng phc tp canhiu i, bao gm qu kh, hin ti v tng lai."

V thng ta gii thch, "Tai ng ca chng ta ny l nhng tri ng m chng ta gieo ht v trncy xu c nhiu i trc. Vic lm t thin hmnay ch l nhng ht ging ngt mi gieo trong mnht c nhiu cy tri xu i trc, nn chng chakp tr qu phc th cy c trong qu kh cho tri

ng ri... C hy tin ti, ri y khng sm th muntrong tng lai ca kip ny hay kip sau, c s hngqu phc!" V thng ta khng nh.

B knh cn chp tay cho v thng ta ra v, nhnglng vn khng thy tha mn v cu tr li. Ci tainn trt tay, lch mi v tho y trn i m gy g .khng lm cho ngi pht t ln tui ny nn lng lm


8/22

and went home, with unresting thoughts clinging in hermind. The aging Buddhist still eagerly worked for charityevents, despite that that accident dislocated her nose andone of her arms, and scarred her slim cheeks. The monksin any temple she came to ask all gave her the same

answers -- with some different details or differentwords.

One day, upon taking advice from friends she came to aska young scholar monk who had just completed post-graduate study in the land of Buddha with the samequestion.

Dear Master, my life is so unlucky. Please look at scarsand pus on my face; they were from a car accident lastmonth when I joined a charitable trip, she asked for an

explanation from the scholar monk.

Dear old lady, what happened to the people in the samevehicle with you? The young scholar monk asked herwith a compassionate voice.

Dear Master, some people still have to stay in thehospital, some become paralytic, and some are gone. Itsvery sad. I was the oldest person in that vehicle, and theleast injured person, she said.

That is your precious merit, which has come from yourlifelong charitable work, the monk said.

She raised eyebrows, then said, Is that so?

Let me tell you a story from India. The monk saidunhurriedly. Just like every year, during the months ofJune and July 1999, hundreds of vehicles transportedHinduism believers to their holy sites to pray and worship.So many sad incidents happened in these holy trips: Threecars were hit by a big lorry truck, and all occupants in

those three cars died without a body intact; Two carsplunged into the Ganges River, and all occupants died.After that incident, many relatives of the victims quit theirbelief, thinking that the gods and heavenly beings ofHinduism had no power at all; however, many othersshowed their happiness that their relatives had beenreceived by the Creator God or Lord Brahma into Heaven,where they would sit in the same table with angels to help

vic thin. Nhng hu nh khi i n cha no, n vthng ta no hi thm, b cng ch nghe c ctr li tng t, vi vi chi tit v cch din t hayminh ha khc nhau, ci cch tr li ny khng lm dc ni bng khung v thc mc ca b.

Hm n, nghe bn b pht t ni nhiu v mt i ctr tui va tu hc bn x Pht tr v, b n thmv y v cng t mt cu hi tng t:

"Tha thy, sao i ti gp nhiu bt hnh qu. Thyhy xem, gng mt y tho v cha lnh m ny ldo tai nn b lt xe trong mt chuyn lm t thin xhi thng trc y!" B phn bua v yu cu v ic tr gii thch.

"Cn nhng ngi lm t thin cng i chung mtchuyn xe b lt th no?"V tu s tr hi b vi mging t i.

"Tha thy, vi ngi vn cn nm vin, vi ngi blit, v vi ngi cht!" B va k va khc, "Ti choh qu!!!" B khng qun nu chi tit, "Ti l ngigi nht trn xe v cng l ngi b thng nh nht."

" l phc bu ca c y, ci phc bu do suti lm t thin khng mt mi!" V tu s nhn mnh.

B nhng mt t v ngc nhin, ri ni, Vy sao!

"Ti k cho c nghe chuyn lm phc n ." Vtu s t tn ni. "Cng nh mi nm, vo thng 6 vthng 7 nm 1999, hng trm xe ch tn n gio trv thnh a ca h chim bi v cu nguyn. Boch ghi li nhiu chuyn thng tm. Ba chic xe trons b xe hng ng, cht khng cn mt ngi tonthy. Hai xe b ri xung sng Hng khng tm cxc v.v Trc s c , nhiu thn nhn ca nhng

ngi b cht bun b t b o v ngh rng thn vtri ca n gio khng linh, nhng nhiu ngi khc biu t nim hnh phc nh, "Ngi thn ca ti c Phm Thin, ng sng th, rc v ci trn ri.Ri y, ngi thn ca ti s ngi chung bn vi ccv thn linh khc ph h nhn sanh v chng tatn th!"


9/22

the worldly people and they in turn should be worshippedby us.

The young monk told his conclusion to the old lady: Dearold lady, now you see that it is very important to see

things as they are, and to draw a point of view, especiallywhen we want to step on the virtuous path of Buddhism.

The old lady felt moving, and her tears fell happily on herscarred bony cheeks. Then she smiled beemingly and said,That means that Buddha and bodhisattvas dont want toreceive me now. The Holy Beings want me to do morecharitable deeds.

The young monk put his palms together in front of hischest and bowed to the old lady. She bowed back to him

and went home with joyful mind and deep belief incausality.

K xong, v tu s tr khng qun kt lun cho b c:"C thy y, cch thc nhn nh v nh gi vn tr nn v cng quan trng n th, nht l i vi conng vun bi i sng o c!"

B c bi ngi xc ng ri li ri nhng git thnhthot trn g m cm xng v y tho. Ri, ming bn mt n ci tht ti, tht duyn dng v ni:Ngha l Pht v B-tt cha mun rc ti! Cc ngmun nhn nh ti hy tip tc lm vic thin!

V tu s tr chp tay, gt u cho b c. B c vui vcho thy ri ra v vi mt tm lng thanh thn v tinsu nhn qu.

The Conference of Gods on the Issues of the Year 2000

In the last months of 1999, the Gods from the largereligions in the world met to talk about the issues of theyear 2000.

Among those coming to the conference there wereinternationalized Gods, such as from India, China, Israel,Jerusalem City, and the Middle East.

Also coming there were national and local Gods; however,these lower-tier Gods were not allowed to get inside themeeting hall and they had to wait outside for the meetingresults.

The president of the conference on the issues of the year2000 was Indias God, who was the oldest among Gods.The secretary of the conference is Chinas God.

Dear my peer Gods, the Indias God started the

conference. Within few more months, the year 1999 willbe gone and we will face the year 2000, which was the endof the world as stated by some holy scriptures by someGods. Do you all Gods here have any idea about this finalend, and about how to make it a reality?

That will be the day of final judgement, the Middle

Cuc Hp ca Cc Thng v Nm 2000

Vo nhng thng cui nm 1999, cc v Thng ccc tn gio ln trn th gii gp g nhau t chccuc hp v nm 2000.

Bui hp n, cc Thng cp quc t, chng hnnh, ca n , ca Trung Quc, ca Do thi, cathnh Gia-du-xa-lem v ca khi Trung ng u c

mt.

Ngoi ra, cn c cc Thng cp quc gia v aphng u n ng . Nhng bt hnh thay, ccThng cp nh ny khng c d hp, v ngcp x hi thp km ca mnh. H phi ng ngoiphng hp ch kt qu.

Ch ta ca cuc hp cp cao v nm 2000 l Thng ca n , v Thng c tui ln nht. Th kca cuc hp l Thng ca Trung Quc.

"Knh tha qu Thng ng nghip!" Thng ca n khai mc cuc hp, "Ch cn vi thng nanm 1999 s tri qua v nm 2000 s n, ci nm mkinh thnh ca mt s Thng ghi rng s tn th.Qu Thng ng nghip c kin g v ci ngyny v c bin php g bin n thnh hin thc,"


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Easts God said hastily.

That was said by my holy scripture everybody knewthat, Israels God said. The core issue now is, as thePresident of Gods Conference said, how to make it a

reality.

That has been my work for over 50 years, since the yearIndia became independent from Britain and when Pakistanbecame a new country, The Middle Easts God said.When Pakistan became independent, I started urgingthese people to make war with India.

This God continued, From a bloody Siachen battle in1960 to the Kargil war in 1999, I almost succeeded inpersuading them to use nuclear bombs to destroy each

other; however, I failed because the US did not supportthat war, and the G-8 countries and India were very busywith their elections. Thus, I failed.

Those efforts were not worthy to mention! TheJerusalem Citys God said. You all may still rememberthe Second World Ward, in which I helped my believers inGermany and Italy, and united with Japans God to makebloody wars in all the world. After the US dropped twonuclear bombs in Japan, those three countries werecrushed badly.

Inevitably, it failed, Chinas God said. That time wasstill far away from 2000, and the then efforts were notpushed hard enough. My holy scripture did not mentionabout the end of world; thus I dont want to discuss abouta plan to make it a reality.

We should have catched the preys from afar, theJerusalem Citys God said. Recently, I wanted to make abig incident in Kosovo. The US jumped in there, and youall know that I failed in there. And some years ago, I

pushed the Iraq government to conquer Kuwait and usenuclear weapons there, but the US again intervened anddestroy my plan. The US scientists destroyed the weaponsof mass destruction from Iraq, and put sanctions measuresagainst this country; thus, the Muslim countries dared notto help Iraq. The US again put a stick on the wheels.

Its worth it, the Middle Easts God teasingly smiled. If

" l ngy phn xt cui cng," Thng khiTrung ng vi v ni.

"y l iu kinh thnh ca ti ni trc, ai m khngbit!" Thng Do Thi ct ngang. "Vn trng

tm, nh Thng ch ta ni, l lm th no bin thnh hin thc."

"y l cng vic m ti lu tm hn 50 nm nay,k t n thot khi ch thng tr ca Anh v chiaPakistan thnh mt nc c lp trn bn th gii,"Thng Trung ng phn trn. "Khi Pakistan hinhu nh mt nc c lp, ti khng ngng kchng thin h ca ti nc ny gy chin vi n."

Thng ny k chi tit, "T mt trn Siachen mmu vo nm 1960 cho n cuc chin Kargil vo nm1999 va qua, ti gn thnh cng trong vic kch hainc ny s dng bom ht nhn tiu hy nhau.Nhng n lc ny tht bi, do Pakistan khng cs ng h ca M v khi G-8 v n li bn rntrong cuc bu c. Ti nh bt lc!"

"N lc c chi u m ni!" Thng thnh Gia-du-xa-lem so snh. "Chc qi v vn cn nh th chinth hai, ti h tr c lc cho con chin ca ti

c v , v ngoi ra, ti cn phi hp nhp nhng vThng x Thn o, gy chin tranh m mu trton cu. Nhng ri chuyn khng i n u. M chdi ht nhn vo x Thn o, ri ba cng quc nyb qun i ng minh nh bi tan tnh!"

"Bi l phi!" Thng Trung Quc ni, "Thi im n nm 2000 u m n lc ht mnh! Kinhthnh ca ti khng h ni n chuyn tn th, do ,ti khng mun tham gia bn k sch bin n thnhhin thc."

"Chng ta phibt mi t xa ch!" Thng thnhGia-du-xa-lem bin h. "Gn y," ng k, "Ti munlm ln chuyn Kosovo. M nhng tay tip v rinh qu ng nghip thy, ti khng thnh cng!"Thng ny dn chng thm, "V mt ln vo mynm trc, ti kch Iraq nh chim C-qut v thbm ht nhn vo nc ny, nhng M li can thip v


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you asked my help at the time, you'd be successful then.The Middle East is in my jurisdiction, not yours.

Why do you argue with each other? The President ofGods said. We meet here to think about a plan, not to

argue orboast about any achievement.

It would be easy, the Jerusalem Citys God said happilyand confidently. All we Gods should try to urge ourbelievers to make wars among them, then the Third WorldWar will come and the earth will explode intobloody fragments.

We have not much time left for a successful plan. TheIsraels God said in a worried manner. Now the membersof the United Nations Security Council were divided into

three dissenting groups; they cannot agree on any issue,and they are very happy to fight against each other. Howcould we push them to have a majority of votes.

Yes, thats right! The Gods clamored, clicked theirtongues, and nodded their heads thoughtfully.

What should we do now? A God said.

Thats OK, I have a plan! The Jerusalem Citys Godhappily said. My priests in the world have built up large

flocks of thousands of doctoral degree holders. I will tellmy priests to give orders to them to create a theory toexplain the end-of-world incident of year 2000, just likethe Y2K incident of the computers.

What does that mean? We dont understand. Some Godssurprisingly asked.

That means we should explain the doomsday as aphilosophical symbol, not as a literal incident in which theworld would be destroyed and come to an end, the

Jerusalem Citys God explained.

You said quite reasonably! The President of Godshappily said. I has been labeled as the Creator of theworld, the Protector of the world, and the Destroyer of theworld. If I dont want to destroy the world, it must still beprotected and maintained by me. Thus, it must be the same

ph m. Cc khoa hc gia nc ny ph hy cc vkh st hi tp th ca Iraq v cm vn nc ny lmcho khi Hi gio khng dm ng h Iraq." Thng ny kt lun mt cch chn chng, "Cng li M chgy bnh xe na!"

"ng i lm!" Thng khi Trung ng cichc tc. "Nu anh cu vin ti lc th mi vic xong ri." ng bung nh thm mt cu, "Trung ngl x s cai tr ca ti ch u phi ca ng!"

"Sao qu v li ci v vi nhau!" Thng ch tacan. "Chng ta hp l bn gii php ch u phi ginh cng v ci ln,"

"D thi," Thng thnh Gia-du-xa-lem ni. "Qu

Thng ng nghip hy c gng xi gic thin hca mnh gy chin vi nhau v cuc gy chin ny sdn n chin tranh th gii th ba. Lc , th qu cu ny ch cn l mnh vn ca bi m pha vi mumu!" Thng ny ni mt cch t tin v tm c.

"Nhng thi gian cn qu t lm sao chng ta c ththnh cng?" Thng Do Thi cht vn. "Hin nayhi ng bo an lin hip quc c n ba nhm. Banhm u ph k hoch v quyt nh ca nhau. Nhmny ng th nhm kia chng kch lit. Lm sao ly

c biu quyt ca a s?" Thng ny phn trnni kh khn.

"ng, ng!" Cc Thng ng nghip u chcli v gt u suy ngh.

"Lm sao by gi?" Mt v Thng cht ln ting.

"Khng sao, ti c cch!" Thng thnh Gia-duxa-lem vui v ni. "Ch chn ca ti di th c nhng ngn tin s gii, lm vic di trng. Ti s b

v ch chn ra lnh cc v tin s ny to nn mn "githch hc" l gii s c tn th nm 2000, theo cchthc l gii s c Y2K ca my vi tnh vy."

"Ngha l lm sao, chng ti khng hiu!" cc Thng khc ngc nhin hi.

"Ngha l gii thch ch "tn th" theo ngha biu tn


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with the incident of year 2000.

That means that you got all the advantageous bargain onthe explanation of the doomsday incident, all the otherGods clamored.

While the discussion came to nowhere, an outside voicefrom a local God provocatively reached into the hall,How could that immature plan success? If there is nodoomsday plan, then you all should kill yourselves first.

Arrest him please! The President and the Secretary ofthe Conference gave out the order.

Many Gods rushed out of the hall, catched that small localGod, and beat him up badly. Painfully, this local God

detonated his concealed suicide bomb. A huge explosionshook the earth. All the Gods in the hall died, and theirbodies came to pieces. Many local Gods waiting outsidealso died, and the rest had to run to find a hiding place toavoid prosecution by worldly courts.

Then the year 2000 passed safely. Thus the end of thedoomsday event.

trit l, ch khng theo ngha en ca t: th l i, tl chm dt, l b hy dit ht," v Thng thnhGia-du-xa-lem gii thch cn k.

"C l y!" Thng ch ta ni. "Ti c mnh

danh l ng to dng nn th gii, ng duy tr thgii v ng hy dit th gii. Nu ta khng mun hydit th th gii vn cn nm trong s bao bc v duytr ca ta. S c nm 2000 cng vy," Thng chta tm c v cng.

"Nh vy tt c mn hi ca cuc gii m ngha "Tth" thuc v mn hi ca ng sao!" cc v Thng ng thanh ln ting.

Chuyn bn ci khng i n u, bng vng vng t

ngoi vng vo l ting ca mt v Thng aphng: "K hoch non nh vy lm sao thnh cngc." ng c ch ni tip vi mt ging khu khchv chc tc, "C g u, nu k hoch tn th khngxong, th cc anh phi t st trc ch!"

"Bt anh y li!" Thng ch ta v th k ra lnh

Cc Thng xm chy ra khi phng hp, nho tiv Thng a phng nh b, chp ly ng rinh ti bi. Trong cn au n, v Thng ny

bm nt "mn t st" trong ngi ng. Mt ting nkhc lit vang ln, rung chuyn c a cu. Cc vThng d hp trong phng cht tan xc. CcThng a phng khng c d hp, mt scng b cht, s cn li chy trn khi b truy n cah.

Ri nm 2000 tri qua trong bnh yn! S kin tn th chm dt!

Greetings to the Master

The abbot of a temple in a large city in Vietnam died. Thefuneral ritual for the venerable monk was simple andgracious. Later, a young adult monk was appointed as thenew abbot there.

Almost a year bassed by. In a morning, a middle-agedfemale Buddhist visited the temple with the intention ofmeeting her old master. Coming in the room of the abbot,

D ... d, con knh bch Thy!

Ti mt ngi cha thuc cp bc trung trong mt thnph ln ca Vit Nam, v Ha thng tr tr qua i.L tng nim v tng tng v Ha thng ny rt ngin nhng khng km phn trn trng. Sau khnglu, Gio hi b nhim mt v i c tr tui lnlm tr tr ngi cha .

Gn mt nm tri qua, vo mt bui sng n, mt ch


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she saw a young and small monk who looked like theattendant monk she had met last year.

The woman said, My dear young brother, please let mesee the abbot of the temple. I did not see him almost a

year.

The young monk invited her to have a seat, poured the teainto a cup for her, and asked the woman what she wantedfrom the visit. She said she wanted to see the venerableold monk to have an advice about how to calm her rushingmind.

The young monk said that she should try to keep mindfulattention in every thought and in every body movement.He said that when she saw her thoughts scramble about

something, she should try to breathe in and out slowly anddeeply, and should tell herself that she should not hurrybecause the hurries would lead to something wrong.

The monk gave her more advices on how to calm hermind, such as the method of alternative thinking and themethod of delayed thinking. With method of alternativethinking, instead of making any hasty decision, she shouldfocus on another issue, try to imitate the calm manner ofBuddha, and quiet her rushing mind.

With method of delayed thinking, she should think overand over about the issue in a necessary time, and shouldnot shorten the time; any immature decision would lead todisadvantage later.

While listening to the young monk, the female Buddhistfelt impatient; she insisted the young monk to let her seethe venerable old monk.

Dear young brother, please tell the venerable old monkthat I am Dieu Vien and have come here to visit my old

master. She said gently. Dear young brother, pleaseunderstand that I am very busy.

Dear elder sister, please wait for a moment. The abbotwill come to see you right away, the young monk said.

Then the young monk got into the inner room, put on hisbrown dress, stepped out again and sat on the simple chair

pht t tui trung nin n cha ving thm v Hathng. Bc vo phng tr tr, ch gp mt v tu snh ngi, tr trung ging nh v th gi ch gp nmtrc.

Ch bo, "Em lm n cho ch gp Ha thng tr tr."Ch pht t phn trn, "Gn mt nm ri ch khng thm Ha thng!"

V tu s vui v mi ch ngi, rt nc mi ch unghi thm mc ch ca ch n gp tr tr. Ch bo chn gp Ha Thng xin Ha thng mt likhuyn v cch khc phc tm tnh vi v ca ch.

V tu s tr khuyn ch c gng ch tm v tnh thctrong tng hnh vi c ch ca tm v ca thn. Khi n

thy tm nn nng v mt vic g th phi bit tmmnh ang b bc chy vi la vi v m c gng htth tht su v tm nim rng ta khng nn vi v, vvi v thng dn ti sai lm.

V tu s gp ch vi cch khc khc phc tm,chng hn nh phng php thay th v phng phptr hon v.v Phng php thay th l thay i ch t duy. Ngha l thay v bm vo s nn nng quytnh lm mt vic g, ta tp trung vo mt ch khcchng hn nh phong thi ung dung ca c Pht,

c gng bt chc ngi v t b tnh vi v.

Phng php tr hon nhm suy t v tnh thi gian cthit mt cch ti thiu ca mt s kin hay vn . Snhy vt v thi gian c th dn n s chn "hp" cacng vic v c th gy nhiu bt li v sau.

Nghe v tu s tr gii thch, ch Pht t cm thy strut v cng v ni n thy cho ch gp Ha thng.

"Em lm n tha vi Ha thng c DiuVin ti

thm Ha thng." Ch bung thm mt cu nh, "Emthng cm, ch bn lm!"

"Xin ch vui lng ch cho mt cht, thy tr tr s ralin!" V tu s tr tui t tn p.

Ni xong, thy bc vo bung trong, mc o trngnu vo, thong th bc ra ri ngi xung ngay chnh


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which he had just risen from.

The female Buddhist became more impatient, askinghurriedly, Is the abbot busy, or he is not in the templenow? Why does he not come here?

Dear elder sister, the venerable old monk you want to seealready passed away a year ago, the young monk said.

You said the venerable monk already went to the land ofBuddha? When? How could I not know that? She askedhastily.

The young monk told about the illness from which thevenerable abbot died last year, about the reverence shownto him by the Buddhists from the four directions, and

about how he had been cared meticulously by many finemedical doctors. The female Buddhist wept, wiped hertears, faulted herself for not often visiting the temple andthus had not known about his passing.

She said movingly to the young monk, Dear youngbrother, would you please let me see the new abbot.

Dear elder sister, I was appointed by the Sangha Body asthe new abbot, the young monk replied leisurely. Whatcan I do to help you?

Knowing that the young monk was the new abbot, sheembarassingly shifted the way she spoke, Yes, yes... dearmaster, dear master, please accept my repentance.

No problem, the monk said gently. Words for etiquetteust are words for social communication. Dont let those

words cling in our minds.

The young abbot then talked to her about how to calm therushing mind, continuing where he had been disrupted. He

taught her the mindfulness of breathing and body, andadvised her to visit the temple more often. Hearing theteaching, she felt so much happy. After the abbot finishedthe lesson, she bowed and left.

Saying farewell and watching her walk out of the room,the young abbot thought, Life is so strange. People arerespected for their names and positions. If you have a

ci gh n s m thy va ng dy.

Ch pht t tr nn xt rut hn, vi v hi: "B Hathng tr tr bn hay Ha thng khng c cha?Sao khng thy Ha thng ra?"

"Tha ch, Ha thng tr tr qua i cch y mnm ri!" v tu s tr khoan dung ni.

"Em bo sao, Ha thng v ci Pht ri h? Hi novy, sao ch khng hay?" ch hi dn dp.

V tu s tr k li cn bnh ngt ngho cp i mnsng ca Ha thng vo nm ngoi, trc s knh tiv nh thng v vn ca pht t bn phng, mc dHa thng c cc bc s gii ngy m thay

nhau chm sc. Ch pht t nghe thy k, nghn ngori nc mt, t trch mnh khng thng xuyn ticha nn khng bit g v tin t trn ca Ha thng.

Va lau nc mt, ch va nghn ngo ni vi v tu str: "Thi th, em lm n cho ch gp v tr tr mi!"

"Tha ch, bn tng l ngi c Gio hi b lm trtr thay th Ha thng !" v tu s tr khoan thai nitip, "Bn tng c th gip ch c g khng?"

Bit v tu s trc mt mnh l v tr tr mi ca cha,ch bn ln i ging: "D, d ... con knh bch thy ..ch lng ta lng tng by t xin li v s tht l. "Bch... bch thy, cho con xin sm-hi!"

"C sao u!" v tu s bung nh. "Ngn ng xng hl cch mc c trong giao t thi, c g u m phi tm chp mc!"

S ch ngi ngng v thy lin chuyn sang ti vcch khc phc "tm vi v" cho ch nghe, m khi ny

thy ang ni d dang. Sau , thy tn tnh dy choch cch tu thin qun st hi th, hnh vi ca bn thv khuyn ch sing nng i cha hn. Nghe thy gingio l, ch cm thy thch v cng. Sau bi ging, chcho thy ra v.

Tin ch ra khi ca phng, nhn di theo tng bcchn ca ch, v tr tr tr thm ngh: "Cuc i ny l


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repected name or are in a high position, your advice wouldbe trusted deeply and followed joyfully; otherwise, thatsame wise and reasonable advice might not convinceanybody. Behaving that way, people have lost so manygood chances to learn in life!

tht, con ngi ta trng vng ci "danh" v ci "chcv" n th. Cng li dy ca mt ngi, nu li dy khng c khoc ln mnh n mt ci danh, mtchc v, cha chc ngi nghe chu tin v lm theod li dy c ng v su sc, nhng nu li ni

c khoc ln o ca mt ngi c chc v, th ngta mi chu nghe: nghe mt cch tm c v hoan hlm theo! y mi bit, theo cch ny ngi ta b lrt nhiu c hi hc hi trong giao t v trong cucsng!"

Shaking Head or Nodding Head

After twenty years of isolation, the government ofVietnam started letting the Buddhist monks and nuns tostudy abroad since early 1990s. Those who were lucky tobe helped financially went to France and Japan, those with

less financial help went to China, and those with least helpwent to India, where Buddhism was founded. Among overtwenty five religious students going to study in India in1994, there is a young, energetic, studious monk.

The first day he went to the market to buy some needythings, he came to find a rickshaw (1), which had the looklike a xe ko in the south-western provinces of Vietnam.

How much to go from here to the Camp Market?Heasked the rickshaw driver.

ch ru-pe -- that meant ten Indian rupees (2) thedriver replied.

Eight rupees, the young monk haggled; he knew thatthe official price for that distance would be only fiverupees.

The rickshaw driver shook his head. The monk steppedaway because he thought that the driver did not agree withthat price of eight rupees.

Come here, come here... please, the driver called out.

After hearing the call, the monk asked again for sure,Eight rupees, that means eight rupees.

The driver shook his head. Thinking that the driverdisagreed, the monk turned his back and stepped forward

Lc u v Gt u

Sau hai mi nm b quan ta cng, chnh ph VitNam bt u cp h chiu cho php cc tu s Pht gioi du hc vo nhng nm u thp nin 90 ca th k20. Ngi c phc c vin tr tt th i Php, i

Nht, ngi km hn th i Trung Quc v ngi tngun vin tr hn na th i n , x s khaisanh ra nh o vng Gic Ng. Trong s hn 25 v in vo nm 1994, c mt v tu s tr tui, nngng v hiu hc.

Ngy u tin ra ch mua nhu yu phm, thy gi mchic xe rickshaw p [1], hi ging vi chic xe ko cc tnh min Ty Nam b Vit Nam.

"T y i ra ch Camp bao nhiu tin?" thy hi v

p xe.

"ch ru-pe," tc "mi ng rupee", [2] anh p xetr li.

"t ru-pe," tc "tm ng c khng?" thy mc c,v thy bit rng gi chnh thc ch c nm ng rupeethi.

Anh p xe lc u nm by ci. Thy b i v nghanh khng chu gi tm ng.

"Come, come" tc"li y, li y!" anh p xe gi vtheo thy.

Nghe anh gi, thy hi li cho chc: "Tm ng h!""tm ng nghe!" thy ni thm.

Anh p xe li lc u lia la. Thy thm ngh anh dp


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fast. Then the driver called out to the monk.

Bt-th, please hop in the rickshaw! the driver said thethe monk.

That means eight rupees, right! the monk asked again.

The driver shook his head again and again. Unhesitatingly,the monk walked ahead, despite the driver said again andagain, Bt-th, bt-th... dear master, please hop onto therickshaw, please.

A week later, the monk started learning Hindi languageand Indian culture, and then understood that when anIndian shook his/her head that meant he/she wanted to sayI agree with you; however, a Vietnamese would express

his/her agreement by nodding head. Also bt-thmeant please get on [the rickshaw] while the monkmistook it for you haggled so bad in Vietnamese.

[1] There are two types of rickshaws, with or withoutmotor; they are cheap and popular means of transportationin India.

[2] The rupee is Indian currency. In 1994, a rupee wasequal to 330 Vietnamese dong; and a U.S. dollar wasequal to 36 rupees.

xe tht kh hiu nn quay lng i nhanh. Anh p xeli gi vi theo.

"Bt-th" ln xe!" anh p xe mi thy.

"Tm ng phi khng?" thy li hi.

Anh p xe li lc u vi ci. Thy b i thng mtnc m khng ng ngoi li, mc cho anh p xe mgi nhiu ln, "bt-th, bt-th" mi [thy] ln xe, m[thy] ln xe.

Mt tun l sau , thy bt u hc ting Hindi v vha n , thy mi hiu ra rng "lc u" l du hibiu t "s ng " ca ngi n, m ngi Vit Namthng th hin bng ci "gt u," v "bt-th" l

"mi ngi [ln xe]" m thy c tng anh ni tingVit theo ging t: "[tr gi] bt th."

[1] C hai loi Rickshaw, loi Rickshaw p v loiRickshaw my. y l 2 phng tin giao thng tni r v ph bin n .

[2] Rupee l n v tin t ca n . Gi mt ngRupee vo nm 1994tng ng 330 ng Vit Namv khong 36 ng Rupee mi bng mt ng laM.

Stay Around With Black and Red, if You AreAwesome

Once upon a time, there was a family; the husband wasDragon, and the wife was Nymph. They had five sons.The couple named their children in a chronological order:Yellow, Blue, White, Red and Black.

Yellow, Blue and White were very filial to their parents,and devoted to their younger brothers. After Dragon andNymph had passed away and left a huge estate, Red and

Black thought of killing the three older brothers to stealthe whole fortune.

Red was so cruel, even to his brothers or anybody. Hecould swear and show his violent behavior anytime. Heneither believed in Buddha, holy beings and the next life,nor trusted in his parents, brothers, relatives andneighbors. He only thought of money and his present

C Ngon Sng vi Thng en, Thng

V chng anh Rng v ch Tin c nm a con trai.Anh ch t tn con mnh bng cc mu sc. a ulng tn Vng, th hai tn Xanh, th ba tn Trng, tht tn v a t tn en.

Vng, Xanh v Trng ht mc hiu tho vi cha m vnhng nhn em mnh. Sau khi v chng anh ch Rngv Tin qua i, li mt gia ti kt s. en v ctnh tranh ginh, tm cch hi cc ngi anh, cng

nhau ot gia ti cha m li cho c nm anh em.

c tnh hung hn, khng bit n tnh ngha anhem. N chng t ai. H mun chi l n chi. H mubo ng l n bo ng. N chng tin c Pht, thnhthn linh, cha m, anh em, b con, lng xm v cucsng i sau. N ch bit n tin bc v cuc sng v


17/22

worldly life.

Black was skillfully deceitful; he showed affection to hisbrothers on the outside while thinking of the evil thoughts.He actually hired some bad guys to mug and batter his

three eldest brothers.

Seeing the bad behaviors of the two youngest brothers,Blue and White felt sad, left home, worked hard andbecame rich fast. Yellow was still poor, patiently stayingaround with the two bad younger brothers.

Dear Yellow, why do you cling to the estate that youcannot inherit, bearing the burden of staying around Blackand Red? Blue wrote in a letter to Yellow. You see thatI and White now have own houses and great careers. You

are the eldest of our family; you would have succeededlong ago.

All members of my own family are now very happy,White advised in a letter to his older brother Yellow. Iwish you leave soon and look for a new career; our parentswill help you, just like they did for me and Blue.

Several years passed. Despite receiving a lot of lettersfrom Blue and White, and despite the bullying from Blackand Red, Yellow kept silent and continued to stay in the

house their parents had left behind.

One day, knowing that Yellow just installed a telephone,Blue and White gave him a call.

Brother Yellow, you are still OK now? We worry foryou. Blue and White tried to convince the eldest brotherto leave away from the two youngest brothers. Red andBlack are two thugs; why dont you desert them to find aparadise.

I dont see any bullying from them. Yellow said.

What did you say? Not bullied? Blue and White gaveout the questions. Did you get anything from that house,which you would have inherited from our parents?

I have a lot now: the meaning of life, Yellowphilosophically replied. Living in a bullying environment

cht hin ti.

en th khc hn v xo lanh hn. N t v thngknh anh em trc mt v b ngoi nhng bn trongth tri ngc. Sau lng, n thu c bn cn du n

v hng m thu chm mn, chn ng hnh hungcc ngi anh ca n.

Bt nhn trc cnh tng tranh ginh v m hi cahai ngi em, Xanh v Trng r nhau b nh ra i.Khng bao lu, nh tnh cn c, thng minh v thovc, c hai lp c c nghip v tr nn giu c,trong khi Vng vn ngho kh nh ngy no v vn nnhn chung vi hai a em bc c.

"Anh Vng ! ti sao anh li tic nui ci gia ti m

mnh khng th hng c, m cam nh chung vhai thng en v ?" Xanh vit th thuyt phc anhVng. "Anh khng thy sao, em v Trng nay cnh ca v s nghip ring ri. Anh l anh hai, sao tth!"

"Gia nh em by gi sng lm!" mt li khoe trongmt l th do Trng vit gi cho anh Vng. "Em monganh sm mnh dn t b ngi nh , ra i tm snghip mi nh ti em, ri cha m s thng m phh anh, nh ph h em v anh Xanh."

Nhiu nm tri qua, mc d nhn khng bit bao nhil th ca Xanh v Trng, anh Vng vn khng tr livn tip tc trong ngi nh cha m mnh li, trs hung hn v v l ca hai ngi em en v .

Mt hm, khi bit c anh Vng va gn in thoi,Xanh v Trng gi v hi thm anh.

"Anh Vng, anh vn khe nh hm no ch? Ti em lcho s phn ca anh," Xanh v Trng by t, " v

en l hai thng cn , sao anh khng t b chng mra i tm thin ng mi!" Xanh v Trng c thuytphc.

"Anh khng thy anh b chng bc hi cht no!" Vntr li dt khot vi hai ngi em ca mnh.

"Anh ni sao, anh khng b bc hi ?!" Xanh v Trn


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while keeping a blissfully calm mind is a precious wealth.What do you want more?

Oh, you are crazy. We dont understand why you bearand consider bitterness as sweetness; you have empty

hands now. Blue and White lamented, argued and tried toconvince his eldest brother. If you could bear a burden,you should follow us to leave that house and make a newcareer. Why are you are so inactive now?

Dear my brother! You should not mistake where you areliving as a paradise. The true paradise exists only in hell.Happiness exists only in suffering. The unfettered mindexists already in the fettered mind. This worldly sufferingis actually where you live with the awesome morality. Ilearned that way of living from our parents when you were

still very young. Yellow explained his position. If youare awesome, you should return here to live with Blackand Red. Here is the place where you will see paradise,hell and Nirvana.

Unable to convince the eldest brother, Blue and Whitedropped the telephone set, could not eat and drinkanything for the whole day, lied on their beds and thoughtover and over about Yellows words, If you areawesome, you should return here to live in the same housewith Black and Red.

The words of Yellow sent Blue and White into sleep, inwhich their lips whispered, Yes, yes! Brother Yellow isright. Happiness truly exists only when the mind is calm,unmoved and relaxing.

hi vn li. "Th anh c g trong ci nh , cinh l ra anh phi hng quyn k t c, theo di chcca cha m chng ta."

"Anh c nhiu lm ch: ngha ca c cuc i,"

Vng tr li nh nh. "Sng trong cnh b bc hi mtm mnh vn bnh thn v anvui th khng phi lc ci ti sn v gi, th ci g cc em mi gi l tisn ch?" Vng trit l.

", anh in ri!" Xanh v Trng than th. "Ti emkhng hiu sao anh li chu ng ni ci th cai ngm cho l ngt ngo; mt bn tay trng m chol giati c!" Xanh v Trng thc mc. "Anh m c ganchu ng th hy bt chc ti em lm li s nghipbng s ra i v n lc ca chnh mnh. Ti sao anh l

bc nhc v th ng n th!"

"Cc em ng lm ngh rng ni m cc em ang lthin ng. Thin ng ch c mt ni a ngc.Hnh phc ch c mt trong kh au. Phin no chnhl gii thot. Kh au l chnh b-; trn gian l cisum xu o mu. l iu m anh hc c t cham, khi cc em cn qu nh." Vng thong th giithch. "Cc em c ngon th v y sng vi thng env thng ! a ngc, thin ng v nit-bn unm ." Vng khng khi vi lp trng ca mnh.

Bit anh Vng trc sau nh mt, Xanh v Trng bub bung in thoi xung. Hm , hai anh em khnn ung g, nm di trn chic ly vng, suy ngh minmang v cu ni khng khi ca anh Vng, "C ngonth sng chung vi thng en v thng !"

Ci suy ngh v cu ni ca anh Vng a Xanh vTrng vo gic ng. Trong gic ng thip, h lm bmni th tho trn hai i mi "ng, ng! Anh Vngni rt ng! Hnh phc ch tht s ng tr khi tm

khng giao ng v bnh thn."Prison and Hell

There was an ancient golden Buddha statue in an ancienttemple that had been put in the list of cultural historicalheritages. One day when the monk went outside, a thiefvisited the temple and stole the statue.

T Ngc v a Ngc

Mt ngi cha c c xp vo hng di tch vn halch s, c mt tng Pht c bng vng. Hm n, nhnh s i vng, tn o chch n thm cha vnh cp tng Pht.


19/22

Running hastily, he dropped a piece of paper with hisname and address on it. A police interrogator came to seethe thief, and put out many questions. The thief claimedinnocence and said that he did not steal the Buddha statue.

Finally, the old monk appeared, and asked to discuss withthe thief privately in the main hall of the temple. Withinfew minutes, the old monk came out and gave the policethe name of an antique jewelry store in a famous largecity.

Showing admiration and surprise, the interrogator said,How did you, an old monk, do it? We threatened to puthim in prison and could not make him confess.

The old monk replied, I only told him that the karma of

stealing a Buddha statue will push him into theUninterrupted Hell.

Trong vi v, hn nh ri giy t c tn v ach ca mnh. B tnh nghi, hn c cc vin cnh stthanh tra n tra vn. Tn o chch mt mc khngchu khai v khng tha nhn y n cp tng Pht.

Cui cng, v s gi ca ngi cha xut hin v yucu c ni chuyn mt mnh vi hn. Ch trong vipht, v s gi i ra v a cho cc vin thanh tra tnhiu ca mt tim mua bn vng bc v c trongmt thnh ph ln, ni ting.

V cng ngc nhin v t v khm phc, mt vinthanh tra hi, "lm sao thy c th lm c vic ny?"Chng ti," anh ni tip, " da hn rng lut php bt giam hn vo t ngc nhng hn vn ngoan ckhng chu th ti!"

V s gi n tn p, "Ti ch bo anh ta rng nghiptrm cp tng Pht s y anh vo a ngc v gin!

Divine Power and Weak Point

There was a just married couple who were living sohappily in love, sharing, respect and understanding. Whenone of them fell ill or met some hardship at work, theother said words of consolation and tried to ease his or herpain.

One day, after working long depressing hours, the wifereturned home with so much tiredness and stress. Thehusband made a glass of lemonade for his wife, used aiced face towel to wipe her face, and told her the storiesabout the beautiful Ha Long Bay surrounded by vast oceanscenery, about the Non Nuoc Temple in the middle of apoetic lake, and many other stories unrelated to her officework.

Listening attentively to the stories, she felt happy andenergetic again.

My darling, you are truly my divine medicine, she saidand smiled gracefully.

He breathed a sigh of relief, My dear, you are truly myweak point.

Sc Thn v im Yu

Hai v chng va mi kt hn sng v cng hnh phtrong s tn trng, hiu bit, thng yu v chia snhau. Mi khi, ai gp phi kh khn, bnh tt ... ngkia s tn tnh gip cho ngi ny c khuykha v bt i ni au.

Mt hm n, t vn phng lm vic tr v sau nhnggi cng thng vi bn ng nghip, nng tr nn mtnhc, r ri v cng thng. Chng lin pha mt lync chanh cho nng ung v dng khn lnh laumt nng, ri huyn thuyn k cho nng nghe, no l,cnh p ca vnh H Long gia bin ngn, no l cncha Non Nc ang ngm mnh trong h nc nnth, v cn nhiu chuyn khc na ... khng lin l gn cng vic vn phng ca nng.

Say m nghe chng k, nng ti tnh ra, nng ng v

vui v nh mi khi.

"Anh yu du ca em, anh qu tht l thuc thn caem!" Nng khen chng vi mt n ci ti xinh vduyn dng trn mi.

Chng th pho nh nhm, "Cn cc cng ca anh, emtht s l im yu ca anh!"


20/22

A thousand offspring in a single birth

Four men are waiting anxiously in a hospital where theirwives were in the delivery rooms.

Ten minutes later, a female nurse stepped out, and saidhappily to the fisrt man, Congratulations to you! Youhave twins!

This is a strange coincidence. The manproudly said. Iam working in a two-way transportation.

About half hour later, the nurse stepped out again and saidto the second man: Congratulations to you! You havetriplets.

This a strange coincidence. The man said and smiledhappily. I am a manager of a three - star hotel in a lagrecity.

One hour later, while the two first men happily talked toeach other, the nurse came out and spoke to the third manwho was sitting anxiously in a corner of the room, DearSir, you and your wife now have quadruplets.

Really? You say quadruplets. The man spokeskeptically.

Is there another coincidence? The female nurse said.

That man replied, Unbelievable! I am working in thecompany that has the name Four Seasons Foods.

Then the fourth man became the focus of all the people inthe room. The man felt dizzy and fell unconscious to thefloor. The nurse rushed to him, and helped him to regainconsciousness.

Rising up from the floor, he murmured words ofdesperation and regretfulness, I am working for acompany that specializes in millennium-related computerproblems. Oh dear! I should have never worked for it.

* * *

The way of thinking expressed by the fourth man reflected

Mt ngn con song sanh

Bn ngi chng ang hi hp ngi ch i v tinkhai hoa n nhu ca nhng b v ang lm bn camnh trong phng ch ca mt nh thng sn ph n

ting.

Mi pht sau, c y t i ra, vui v ni vi ngi nng th nht:

"Xin chc mng ng! ng l cha ca hai chu sanhi."

"Tht l s trng hp l lng!" Ngi n ng hnhdin phn trn, "ti lm trong cng ty giao thng haichiu y m."

C y t i vo trong ri na ting sau, c i ra v nivi ngi n ng th hai:

"ng l cha ca ba chu tam sinh!"

"Tht l trng hp khng th tng tng!" ng vaci va mng r ni, "ti lngi qun tr ca mtkhch sn ba sao trong thnh ph ln."

Mt ting sau, trong khi hai ngi n ng u ang

vui v tm s th c t li i ra, chc mng ngi nng th ba, mt ngi ang ngi hi hp trong mt gphng:

"Tha ng, v ca ng vasanh bn chu trai khukhnh!"

"Thit khng ? C bo v ti sanh bn ?" ngi ng na tin na ng ni.

"Li c trng hp na sao!" C y t vi vng hi.

Ngi n ng ni tip, "ti khng th no tin c!Ti lm trong mt cng ty mang tn Thc Phm BnMa."

Khi nghe tin ny, mi ngi bt u dn ht s ch sang ngi n ng th t. ng tr nn chong vngri ngt xu trn nn phng. C y t vi chy n bn


21/22

the approach of linking some coincident occurrences intosome false truths. He thought that he would have onethousand children born in a single birth after he wassurprised earlier by the three chanceful incidents. That wasso absurd. How could a pregnant woman carry one

thousand offspring? He actually believed that and heactually fell unconscious to the floor. It was so silly and somiserable. Actually, his wife gave birth to a newborn only.

We mostly behave like that. We often claim somespeculations or arguments as the truth of somephenomenon; Ditto the general public, and the majority ofphilosophers who have represented the most respectedscholars in society.

The philosophies from the East and the West, from the

past and the present would be wrong if they claimed somelogical arguments as the truth. Many of them unite truthwith logical arguments: if it is logical, it must be true.

In reality, there are on earth hundred thousands ofoccurrences that happen logically and against the truth.Truth is the being, and truth is that things exist frommoment to moment despite all the logical or illogicalspeculations. Truth exists beyond the logical or illogicaltraits. Truth is the truth of things that exist as they exist.That is the interaction and interdependence of all beings.

Life has so many random and purposeless happeningswhich are interpreted by many thinkers as the Will of theCreator God, whose true face has never been seen byanyone.

People put so many characteristics into the idea of CreatorGod to advocate for their own speculations. Thus, they saythat God is the absolute reality, that God exists beyond thespeculation and perception of human beings, that Godremains beyond all values, that God is limitless while

words and knowledge of human beings are limited, andthat it is wrong to employ the limited to explain thelimitless; in short, they say that human beings cannotunderstand the Creator God.

Actually, Creator God never existed. God only existed inthe history of human imagination, firstly in the form of theunexplained phenomenon, and later in the form of

ng, ng dy.

Mt hi lu sau khi tnh dy, ng lm bm lp i lp lmt cu ni y v tht vng, chn chng v n hn:

"Phi m ti khng lm vic cho cng ty in tonthin nin k!!!" "Phi m ti khng lm vic cho cnty in ton thin nin k!!!"

* * *

Cu ni thng tht v n hn ca ngi n ng th t"Phi m ti khng lm vic cho cng ty in tonthin nin k!!!" phn nh mt cch in hnh v sinhng ci thi "ng ho tnh logic ca cc ngunhin thnh chn l ca cc s kin." ng lm ngh

rng ng s l cha ca mt ngn a tr song sinh, chv b n tng bi ba trng hp ngu nhin ca nhnngi n ng khc! Tht l v l lm sao! Bng dcon ngi no li c th cha ng mt ngn a cony th m ng li ngh l tht ri ht hong v t xu.Tht l khi hi v ng ti nghip ng. S tht thvng ch sinh mt m thi.

Phn ln chng ta cng vy. Chng ta thng ckhuynh hng nh ng tnh cht hp l ca cc suylun, gi thuyt thnh chn l ca cc s kin. Khng

ring g s ng qun chng, m i a s cc trit gianhng ngi i din cho tng lp tr thc ca x hitrong cc thi i, cng vy.

Lch s trit hc th gii ng Ty v kim c trnn sai lm khi nhn chn l qua gc ca logic.Chn l c h ng ho vi logic. Ci g c logic c l chn l.

Trong thc t c hng trm ngn s kin c logicnhng tri ngc vi chn l v cng, v ngc li.

Chn l l nhng ci nh chng ang l, d cho chngc cha ng cc thuc tnh ca logic hay khng. Chl vt ra khi tnh logic v phi logic. Chn l l chnl ca cc s vt nh chng ang hin hu. l tnhtng duyn v tng thuc ca mi hin hu.

Cuc i cha y dy s tnh c v ngu nhin nhvy ! Nhiu ngi c khuynh hng l gii s ngu


22/22

religious and philosophical theories.

If there was the first cause of universe, then what had beenthe cause of that beginning? That question shows thecontradictions of all speculations about a non-existent

God.

If God has existed, he must be the most inhuman and mostbarbarous being, who has created the unequaldiscriminations among his creations, has divided hischildren into warring races from which they must fightagainst and oppress each other, has created the naturaldisasters and diseases and plagues; in short, did God thinkthat human beings surrounded by suffering would beg himfor mercy?

Oh, the so-called Creator God, who is worshipped by somany people because of misunderstanding the nature ofinteraction and interdependence in universe, is so evil, sounfair and so hateful. In the history of humanity, therehave been so many bloody wars in the name of the non-existent God.

Thus, when people cannot have the Right View, all thingsbecome ruinous and painful.

THE END

nhin nh mt s an bi ca Thng hay ng Tovt, mc d cha ai trong s h thy bit mt mitht ca v Thng hay ng To vt ny.

Ngi ta gn cho Thng nhng thuc tnh

bin h cho gi nh ca mnh. No l Thng lthc ti tuyt i. Thng vt khi mi gi nh,suy t v din t ca con ngi. Thng siu vmi gi tr. Ngn ng v kin thc ca con ngi thtl gii hn trong khi thng l v hn. Ly ci huhn l gii v ci v hn l mt sai lm. Ni chungcon ngi khng th hiu c Thng ...

Nhng tht ra Thng no c hin hu bao gi.Thng xut hin trong lch s tng tng ca longi lc u di hnh thc ca nhng g khng l

gii c, v dn d tr nn tn ngng ho v trit lho.

Nu c mt nguyn nhn khi thu ca v tr th ci gl nguyn nhn ca ci khi thu ? Ch cn mt cuhi nh vy thi cng cho thy c tnh mu thunca cc gi nh v mt Thng bt tht.

Nu thng c mt th tht s ng l ngi tn nhv v nhn o nht. ng to ra giai cp trong ccto vt ca ng. ng phn chia con ci ca ng thnh

nhiu mu da v chng tc chng u tranh v caitr nhau. ng to ra thin tai, l lt, bnh tt, tai nau kh cho ton th th to khi c ai cu khn vanxin, ng ban cht n hu.

i, ng thng m ngi ta tn th do hiu sai vbn cht duyn khi v tng thuc ca v tr tht lhim c, bt cng v ng gh tm. Trong lch s nhloi c bit bao nhiu cuc chin m mu ch v hnhn danh ng Thng bt tht .

i s sai lm trong nhn thc lm cho vn trnn v cng ti t v au thng!

THE END

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