15.A Buddhist Henny-Penny.

Much ado about nothing.

Jātaka 322: iii. 74-78.

On a certain occasion the Teacher, referring to the self-mortification of the Hindu ascetics, said to the monks: “Monks, there is no value, no merit, in their self-mortification. It is like the ‘rat-a-tat’ the little hare heard.” Said the monks: “We do not understand what you mean by saying that it is like the ‘rat-a-tat’ the little hare heard. Tell us about it, Reverend Sir.” So in response to their request the Teacher related the following Story of the Past:

Intimes past, when Brahmadatta ruled at Benāres, the Future Buddha was reborn as a lion, and when he grew up, lived in a forest. At that time, near the Western Ocean, grew a grove of cocoanut trees intermingled with Vilva trees. There, at the foot of a Vilva tree, under a cocoanut sapling, lived a little hare. One day, returning with food, he lay down under a cocoanut leaf and thought: “If this earth should collapse, what would ever become of me?”

At that very instant a Vilva fruit fell on top of the cocoanut leaf. At the sound of it the little hare thought: “This earth is certainly collapsing!” And springing to his feet, back he ran, without so much as taking a look. As he was running away as fast ashe could in fear of death, another little hare saw him and asked: “Why, pray, are you running away in such a fright?” “Oh, don’t ask me!” And he kept right on running, in spite of the fact that the other little hare kept asking: “Oh! what is it? Oh! what is it?” The other little hare turned around, and without so much as taking a look, said: “The earth is collapsing here!” He also ran away, following the first.

In the same way a third little hare saw the second, and a fourth the third, until finally there were a hundred thousand little hares running away together. A deer saw them,—also a boar, an elk, a buffalo, an ox, a rhinoceros, a tiger, a lion, and an elephant. Seeing, each asked: “What’s this?” “The earth is collapsing here!” Each ran away. Thus, in the course of time, there was an army of animals a league in size.

At that time the Future Buddha, seeing that army running away, asked: “What’s this?” “The earth is collapsing here!” When the Future Buddha heard this, he thought: “No such thing! The earth is collapsing nowhere! It must certainly be that they failed to understand something they heard. But if I do not put forth effort, they will all perish. I will grant them their lives.”

With the speed of a lion he preceded them to thefoot of a mountain and thrice roared the roar of a lion. Terrified with fear of the lion, they turned around and stood all huddled together. The lion made his way in among them and asked: “Why are you running away?” “The earth is collapsing!” “Who saw it collapsing?” “The elephants know.” He asked the elephants. Said the elephants: “We don’t know; the lions know.” Said the lions: “We don’t know; the tigers know.” The tigers: “The rhinoceroses know.” The rhinoceroses: “The oxen know.” The oxen: “The buffaloes.” The buffaloes: “The elks.” The elks: “The boars.” The boars: “The deer.” The deer: “We don’t know; the little hares know.”

When the little hares were asked, they pointed out that little hare and said: “He’s the one that told us.” So the lion asked the little hare: “Friend, is it true, as you say, that the earth is collapsing?” “Yes, master, I saw it.” “Where were you living when you saw it?” asked the lion. “Near the Western Ocean, in a grove of cocoanut trees mingled with Vilva trees. For there, at the foot of a Vilva tree, under a cocoanut sapling, beneath a cocoanut leaf, I lay and thought: ‘If the earth collapses, where shall I go?’ That very instant I heard the sound of the earth collapsing. So I ran away.”

The lion thought: “Evidently a Vilva fruit fellon top of that cocoanut leaf and made a ‘rat-a-tat,’ and this hare here, hearing that sound, came to the conclusion: ‘The earth is collapsing!’ I will find out for a fact.” So the lion, taking the little hare with him, reassured the throng, saying: “I am going to find out for a fact whether or not the earth collapsed at the spot where the little hare saw what he saw; having so done, I will return. Until I return, all of you remain right here.”

So taking the little hare on his back, he sprang forward with the speed of a lion. And setting the little hare down in the cocoanut grove, he said: “Come, show me the spot where you saw what you saw.” “I don’t dare, master.” “Come, don’t be afraid.” The little hare, not daring to approach the Vilva tree, stood no great distance off and said: “That, master, is the spot where it went ‘rat-a-tat.’” So saying, he uttered the first stanza:

“Rat-a-tat” it went,—I wish you luck,—In the region where I dwell.But as for me, I do not knowWhat made that “rat-a-tat.”

“Rat-a-tat” it went,—I wish you luck,—

In the region where I dwell.

But as for me, I do not know

What made that “rat-a-tat.”

When the little hare said this, the lion went to the foot of the Vilva tree, looked at the spot beneath the cocoanut leaf where the little hare had lain, and observed that a Vilva fruit had fallen on top of the cocoanut leaf. And knowing for a fact that the earthhad not collapsed, he took the little hare on his back, went quickly, with the speed of a lion, to the assemblage of animals, informed them of all the facts, reassured the throng of animals by saying, “Fear not,” and released the little hare.

For if, at that time, the Future Buddha had not come to the rescue, they would all have run down into the sea and perished. It was through the Future Buddha that they obtained their lives.

Hearing a Vilva fruit fall,—“rat-a-tat,”—the hare ran.Hearing the hare’s words, a host of animals were frightened.Those who have not attained consciousness of their portion,Those who follow the voice of others,Those who are given to heedlessness,—the foolish,—They attain what others attain.But those who are endowed with morality,Those who delight in the tranquillity of wisdom,Those who abstain and refrain from worldly delights,—the wise,—They attain what others attain not.

Hearing a Vilva fruit fall,—“rat-a-tat,”—the hare ran.Hearing the hare’s words, a host of animals were frightened.

Hearing a Vilva fruit fall,—“rat-a-tat,”—the hare ran.

Hearing the hare’s words, a host of animals were frightened.

Those who have not attained consciousness of their portion,Those who follow the voice of others,Those who are given to heedlessness,—the foolish,—They attain what others attain.

Those who have not attained consciousness of their portion,

Those who follow the voice of others,

Those who are given to heedlessness,—the foolish,—

They attain what others attain.

But those who are endowed with morality,Those who delight in the tranquillity of wisdom,Those who abstain and refrain from worldly delights,—the wise,—They attain what others attain not.

But those who are endowed with morality,

Those who delight in the tranquillity of wisdom,

Those who abstain and refrain from worldly delights,—the wise,—

They attain what others attain not.

(These three stanzas were uttered by the Supremely Enlightened One.)When the Teacher had related this parable, he identified the personages in the Birth-story as follows: “At that time the lion was I myself.”

(These three stanzas were uttered by the Supremely Enlightened One.)

When the Teacher had related this parable, he identified the personages in the Birth-story as follows: “At that time the lion was I myself.”

So taking the little hare on his back, he sprang forward with the speed of a lion.So taking the little hare on his back, he sprang forward with the speed of a lion.

So taking the little hare on his back, he sprang forward with the speed of a lion.

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