Once upon a time, in a serene forest, there lived a wise and compassionate hermit named Mahatapa. One day, while meditating under a tree, he noticed a small mouse trembling in fear.
Mahatapa: “Oh, little one, why are you so frightened?”
Mouse: “A fierce eagle nearly caught me. I barely escaped with my life.”
Moved by the mouse’s plight, Mahatapa gently picked it up and took it to his hermitage. He cared for the mouse, feeding it grains of rice until it regained its strength.
As time passed, Mahatapa noticed that the mouse had become quite comfortable in the hermitage, even stealing food from his offerings.
Mahatapa: “This mouse is becoming a nuisance. I must find a way to stop it.”
He tried various methods to deter the mouse, but none were effective. One day, a mendicant visited the hermitage and observed Mahatapa’s frustration.
Mendicant: “Why do you seem so troubled, great sage?”
Mahatapa: “A mouse keeps stealing my food, and I cannot find a way to stop it.”
Mendicant: “Perhaps the mouse’s actions are not the problem. Maybe it’s your attachment to the food that’s causing the issue.”
Realizing the truth in the mendicant’s words, Mahatapa decided to let go of his attachment to the food. He stopped worrying about the mouse’s thefts and focused on his spiritual practices.
The mouse, sensing the change, stopped stealing and lived peacefully in the hermitage.
Mahatapa: “True peace comes not from controlling external circumstances, but from mastering one’s own mind.”
📜 Moral:
True peace comes not from controlling external circumstances, but from mastering one’s own mind.