Note to Parents Over the last few years, picture books for children have become more and more popular.

Owing to the fact that parents are caring a lot about the education of their children, as well as communal reading being recommended by professionals, parents and children reading picture books together has become an important method of communication between them. It also helps to create a warm atmosphere at home.

The Telling stories by Master Hai Tao series has received a lot of interest from readers since its publication. In light of this, Compassion Culture, part of the Charity of Compassion to Life, has published picture books dealing with 12 different themes for children. These include kindness and compassion, appreciative joy and equanimity, wisdom, bravery, contentment, gratitude, diligence, filial respect and affection, peace, honesty, and wealth and happiness. These books have shown children the kinds of personalities and beliefs they should possess to help them face the challenges of future life, as well as teaching them to treat the world and all sentient beings with the utmost loving compassion.

This book series has used simple narration and conversations that reveal profound Buddhist spirit and teaching. Outstanding illustrators have been invited to draw lovely pictures to go with the stories. It is hoped that the kids can develop their interest in reading, think about the value of life, and moreover, develop an understanding and approval of Buddhism thorough reading these books.

We hope that, during their development, children can be accompanied by not only their parents but also teachings from these Buddhist stories, in such a way that allows them to cultivate their personalities, nurture their mind and improve their quality of life.

Hai Tao

Be Your Own Master

Illustrated by Ziwen Huang

Translated by The Ci Ai Translation Group,

Ci Ai Education Foundation UK

Illustrated Stories from Master Hai Tao

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Once upon a time, there lived a poor couple in India. Every day, they were forced to beg to survive in the street. They had no children, but they did have a little mongoose as a pet. All three of them lived in harmony.

Eventually, the wife became pregnant and gave birth to a lovely boy. Although they now had their own child, the couple still treated the little mongoose lovingly. The little mongoose also treated the new-born baby as if he were his own younger brother. The mongoose would walk in circles around the baby, and would lovingly lick the small hands and small face of the child.

A Brave Little Mongoose

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One day, the husband went out begging and left his wife and the baby at home. After feeding her baby milk, the wife went to their neighbour to borrow a mortar and pestle, so that she could grind the rice grain her husband had obtained through begging in the past few days.

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Unexpectedly, the smell of the milk fed to the baby attracted a poisonous snake. The poisonous snake had hidden in a corner of the house for a long time. As soon as the mother went out, the poisonous snake crawled out of the corner, opened its big mouth, and was about to eat the beautiful little baby!

The little mongoose was shocked at seeing the poisonous snake. It thought: “Mum and Dad are not here. I must protect my younger brother!” Mongooses are the natural enemies of snakes. The little mongoose bravely rushed towards the snake, scratching and biting it. Very soon, the snake was dead.

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“I killed the poisonous snake and protected my younger brother. Mum and Dad will surely praise me!” At first, the little mongoose was very pleased, and licked its paws. But then it thought: “When they come home, they will only see the snake’s

body. How will they know what I have done?”

The little mongoose thought it over

for a while. It finally decided to wipe the snake blood around its mouth, expecting that Mum and Dad would praise him.

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Soon, the couple returned home. The first thing they saw was the little mongoose with blood all around its mouth. Shivers ran down their spines. Their instincts told them that the mongoose must have eaten their baby.

When the mongoose ran towards them wagging its tail, the husband, in a fit of anger, raised his stick and gave the mongoose a fierce beating.

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However, when

the couple stepped

fur ther into the

house, they found

that their son was

safe and sound.

The remains of a

poisonous snake lay beside the

baby. They then realized that the

little mongoose had saved their son’s

life, but they had rewarded the favour of

the mongoose with hatred. They had ruthlessly

beaten the same little mongoose that had bravely

saved their son’s life.

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The couple were full of remorse. They cried and held the little mongoose in their arms, for it had been beaten nearly to death.

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Parents should question themselves if they have made similar mistakes to the one in this story, such that they misconstrue their children’s actions, before they have discovered the truth of the matter. This will in effect greatly hurt the children’s minds. Parents must be fair, justified, and be able to tell right from wrong. Only in this way can parents expect their children to become sound in both body and mind.

In Buddhism, “Do not kill” refers to “not killing sentient beings”. The word “sentient” refers to the fact that these beings have feelings and perceptions. This is true for animals. Because they can feel pain and pleasure, killing sentient beings incurs anger and leads to future retribution. This is why it is suggested that we should not kill in Buddhism.In Buddhism, grass, wood, stone, and vegetables are not “sentient beings”, and eating them does not incur any future retribution.

Buddhism

Words to Parents

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