The Monkey Buddha

There once lived a grandfather and a grandmother. They could be quite satisfied, if not the birds would have been. What use was the grandfather that he diligently worked on his small field that it neatly tore out all weeds when then brought flew this Nimmersatte and him wegfraßen the green shoots. Never the harvest was so plentiful, as the old man had hoped. On the night he threw himself around on his bed, dreaming of giant birds that flew to his field and all grains aufpickten to the last. In the morning he woke up drenched in sweat and sleepy.

 

„Grandmother, so it goes no further. Pack something to eat and looking for some colorful patches out, sure you have enough of it. I’ll get dressed as a scarecrow, let’s see if I einjage birds fear, will you? „Said the grandfather to one of the many sleepless nights.

 

The grandmother cooked millet dumplings, examined from every corner of old patches together, and the grandfather blew his at. Geez, that was a scarecrow! A green hat with tassels, jacket and skirt from different fabric remnants composed, red, blue and flowered, and a belt a red sash. So impressed, the grandfather stood in the midst onto the pitch, waving his arms, that the only way shreds flew at him. For this purpose he jumped from one foot to the other, jumping around – and really, not a single bird dared only to fly into the field, let alone to steal a grain ofmob.!

 

„I’ll show it to you, insatiable  Now you shall not leave you my grains taste! „The grandfather was happy about his good idea.

 

The sun rose higher, the old man swung his arms getting slower and occurred more and more difficult from one leg to

 

another.“Oh, I have already so many birds chased that it harms sure nothing when I awhile may rest me on the field Rain and strengthen me a bit, „he said.

 

he sat down cross-legged, took a lump out of the bundle, but he had the first not eaten since he noticed his hands in his lap and his head sank to his chest. The grandfather was asleep.

 

It was a hot summer day, the sun was warm, everything was silent, and the songbirds had been hiding in the shadows. And the grandfather asleep.

 

Suddenly with a loud shriek came a horde of monkeys from the forest run. They looked around curiously, and one shouted above the other. As discovered one of the monkeys the sleeping grandfather, who was sitting in his colorful rags on the field Rain. He quickly summoned the others, and all surrounded curiously the strange old man. They were getting closer, ready to take flight once the colorful Something would stir. But the grandfather asleep and did not notice what was going on around him is. And there he remained so calm, the monkeys were getting bolder, and even picked up the bundle and pulled out the dumplings. In no time they were eaten. An older monkey ventured very close to the grandfather zoom and looked at him intently.

 

„Do you know what that is?“ He said to the other. „This is certainly a new Buddha, and the dumplings, which were

 

offerings.“ „Youare right, certainly this is a new Buddha. And how beautiful she is. So a Buddha I’ve never seen, „asserted a second monkey, stroking admiring the colorful scraps. Now had the monkey no longer afraid, she shrieked and howled and tugged on the colorful patches and tasselssuggested:.

 

Finally, the oldest monkey  „We want to take the Buddha and place them in our temples. How are the other animals marvel and envy us if they know what kind of an unusual Buddha we have!

 

„Themonkeys were enthusiastic about the proposal. Some of them ranged join hands and formed a support, and the other sat the Buddha gently on it. The grandfather was indeed awakened by the noise, but when he heard the monkeys were talking about him and what they decided, he was curious. He would like to know where they were going to carry him, and he told himself silently: I’ll let on anything to me and do as if I were actually made ​​of wood. The grandmother will be surprised if I tell you about this experience! When the monkeys came to the river, they were long a ford; because her beautiful Buddha could not be wet. At last she had found one and went gently into the water. Before joy of their discovery, they began to sing; that is, so many would be their cry hardly appeared as singing, everyone screamed in a different key. The Monkey, however, liked their song immensely:

„Beware, beware, beware,

otherwise our Buddha wet

Hey, hey, watch out,“monkey:.!

In the song into one called the  „Lift the figure is quite high, though your dicks wet , The main thing, the Buddha does not get wet cock! „He gave himself his tail high above the water.

 

The grandfather had to pull himself together, to not blurt out loud. It was too funny how anxious monkeys around him were.

 

Finally they had crossed the river, went up a fearful clamor ashore and carried the grandfather in their temple high up in the mountains. Actually it was not a temple, but a cave, in the place of an altar stood an old wooden base, the monkeys had taken from an abandoned temple.

 

They set her grandfather on the base and could not see enough of her gorgeous Buddha , They looked at him up close, then again from the cave, and one cried louder than the others: „Do we have a magnificent Buddha! So a Buddha there are around the world not again!

 

„Finally,they realized that they would have the Buddha indeed sacrifice something so that he liked with them. They ran away in all directions to find a suitable gift. And in the next few hours was a monkey after another in the cave and put the best of what he had been able to find, on the base. They bowed and sang in a shaky voice: „O venerable Buddha, grant me against the grace and take this inconspicuous gift from a poor monkey“brought.

 

One put a handful of tasty nuts on the base, a second, a juicy root, one  even a piece of gold, which he had probably swiped a merchant or pilgrim, others a broken fan or a colorful piece of glass; Soon, everyone sacrificed to the Buddha what he himself appeared most valuable. It was a long train, and the gifts piled up a mountain. Poor grandfather was already stiff from the long sitting still, but he would not reveal itself; because who knows what would have happened. So he waited patiently. Finally, the last monkey had appeared with his gift. The monkeys stood for a while in the cave around, but then they lost interest in the new Buddha and ran into the woods, new pleasures after. No sooner had her cries faded away, the rose all bruised from the base down.

 

„Yet a little while, and I would really become a wooden  He grabbed

 

grandfather,especially the piece of golden statue.“all the gifts that he could use, one, he had but never had such a coin in his life. Then he hurried as fast as he could, from the cave continued; he had no desire to encounter the monkey again. In the city he joined the piece of gold and bought for his grandmother and of itself a summer and a winter kimono and a box of rare  It was

 

delicacy.a feast! And when the grandfather told how him the apes had taken over the river and how worried they were that he was not wet, laughed her grandmother until she could no longer. Again and again had to sing and play, like the monkeys had bowed to the „venerable Buddha,“ the monkey song Grandfather. The loud laughter attracted an envious neighbor. They stood by the gate and shouted: „Are you

 

alone“ „Only Come in“

 

The grandfather and grandmother invited the neighbor and put her some of the delicacies before that had brought from the town of Old celebrating?!.

 

„What are you  because, if I may ask? „said the neighbor, envy very pale, with fake smiles.

 

the grandfather reported his experience and showed her the new kimonos.

 

when they had learned all the neighbor passed and rushed home. They could not wait until her husband came home. He had not taken off his sandals, as she talked already to him: „Look, tomorrow you have to dress up as a scarecrow and go to the field. Just imagine what is like a lucky our neighbors in the womb, and he is a good for nothing. You will definitely get a lot more home. „And they are not likely to hear than to her husband the story from the beginning knew until the end. Then they tore new material which was intended for a kimono, and cleaned the man the next morning with the rag to a scarecrow out.

 

„Go quickly into the field, and wait till the monkeys come!“

 

The neighbor went on his way, but he did not stand as the grandfather the day before on the pitch, waving his arms to scare away the birds. With legs crossed he sat down at once on the Rain, put his hands in his lap and bowed his head as if he were deep in thought. So he waited for the monkeys. He had to wait a long time, and his eyes fell to him almost too because he finally heard noise and shouting. The monkeys rushed out of the forest

 

„Here it is! Here it is! „They cried enthusiastically. „Our Buddha has returned to his seat. Today, he is indeed attracted not as nice as yesterday, but never mind, we bring him anyway back to our temple!  again

 

„Andthey made ​​a stretcher, put the neighbors out and carried him away gently. Although the man was not exactly comfortable, and the shrieks of the monkeys wanted him not even like it, but for the wealth that awaited him, he had quite a bit to accept.

 

When they came to the river, the monkeys were again a ford and sang her

„Beware,beware, beware,

otherwise our Buddhawetsinging.!

ditty:Hey, hey, watch out“

This roar they call  The neighbor had very muster to not blurt out loud. But when the monkeys in the river called the middle: „Although your dicks wet, that’s not so bad, the main thing, the Buddha does not get wet tail“ – because it held no longer the old man!. He laughed out loud and could not stop.

 

„This is not Buddha! This is a man, a cheater! „Cried the monkeys. Furious, she threw the neighbors into the water and disappeared with a loud screech in the forest.

 

The flow ripped the neighbors with him, and he began to think his last hour had struck. But finally, he managed to cling to the hanging over the water branches of a weeping willow, and to reach the shore. He was soaked to the skin; Strips of cloth hung on him and wrapped themselves while running around his legs. In this guise he would have become the laughingstock of the people, so he hid in the bushes and waited for darkness.

 

Late in the evening he made ​​his way home. If I do not meet only the neighbors, which would be a shame! he said to himself, when the village came into view, and he started to run to be faster at home.

 

His wife had long been on the fence, holding out for him. When she saw how fast he ran, she rejoiced: Surely he scored a lot and can not wait to show it to me. Now we are going to buy us new things!

 

And before the man had yet arrived, they tore their clothes and threw them into the fire along with the old things of man.

 

„The stuff I do not want to see! What we will now buy us for splendid robes!

 

“ gorgeous robes! Whenever the compassionate neighbors would not leave their old kimonos, they would have to walk around naked.

 

 

this is a part of the new book

fairytales from the far east

Coming soon…