GREED BRINGS OUT THE WORST IN A PERSON
Master Jun Hong Lu: During the era of Xia Dynasty, there lived a famous archer. His name was Hou Yi. Being the best archer in all of the lands, his fame spread far and wide.
One day, the king invited him to the palace to showcase his archery prowess. A one-square-foot target made from animal skin with a red heart, one inch in size in the middle was set up for Hou Yi to showcase his skill. Upon seeing this, Hou Yi came up with a well-thought out plan.
Right before his first shot, out of blue, the king announced, “If you hit the bull’s eye, you will be rewarded with 10,000 tael of gold; if you miss it, you will be stripped of your land”.
Right away, Hou Yi’s face turned pale, and his breath quickened. He drew his bow and shot the first arrow. The arrow pierced through the target but missed the bull’s eye. With trembling hands and after much effort, he shot a second arrow. Once again, the arrow came in short of the target and fell onto the ground. The gathering crowd went wild, “Oh no! What’s happening!?”
Seeing this, King Xia asked his Minister, Mi Ren, “Hou Yi is known for his unfailing accuracy in shooting, why was it that he missed it twice today?” The Minister replied, “Your Highness, the reward and punishment you announced today might have given him mental strain, throwing his mind off balance”.
This story tells that whenever there is a grip of desire, your normal mental state will surely be thrown off balance. As such, we should learn from our lessons, that is, no matter how the external environment changes, we should learn not to be affected by the notion of gains and losses. Neither should we let our mind be held hostage or disturbed by greed and on no account should you let defilements affect the right thoughts in your consciousness.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Sydney, Australia, 27 January 2019
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