I lent this book out once years ago and it was never returned. I have taught the pre-school class at our Buddhist temple for 9 years and this book contains stories that neither I nor our reverend had heard before. The great Zen stories are like that-one may get more and more meaning out of it over time. Since my first reading years ago, I have learned other lessons by remembering this story. Part of the lesson was not "let go of anger" it was that she didn't have the anger in the first place. One reason I want to find this book again is to re-read that haiku.įifteen years ago this story stunned me. She stood up and bowed towards the village and composed a haiku in which she thanked them, for through their actions she was able to experience the sight of the sunlight on frosted sakura. She looked up into the tree and saw the sunlight shining through the frosted cherry blossoms. The night was so cold, the ground was covered with frost by the morning. She walked out of town and up a hillside and slept under a cherry tree. One story I remember from my prior ownership of this book is the story of a nun who sought shelter for the night in a village but the villagers turned her down.
But this is a collection of stories that I think will resonate with, if not move, most modern Western readers.
In collections of Jataka Tales (from India), or even in folktales from Japan, China or other Asia cultures, you may encounter stories and fables whose morality does not necessarily translate into today's values, and/or into Western morality. Each tale is a self-contained page or two, written in simple, elegant language, with beautiful illustrations. If you like Jon Muth's "Zen Shorts" for children, about the panda named Stillwater and his interactions with 3 children, you will love "One Hand Clapping." "One Hand Clapping" came out in 1995, much earlier than "Zen Shorts" and is unsurpassed in the story selection and the beauty of its illustrations.
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