The Great-Hearted Monkey
In the high Himalayas, there once lived a giant monkey king and his troop of eighty thousand monkeys.
Their home was in a forest glade by the side of the Ganges River. There stood a tall shady tree where the
water gushed pure and clear. In the summer, this tree would bear enormous golden fruits.
As soon as the fruits were ripe, the monkeys ate them all up as fast as they could. For the monkey king,
who was extremely wise, had warned his followers: "Never allow a single fruit to fall in the water. If this
happens, the fruit will be carried down the river to distant valleys and cities where men live. Then they
may come in search of the tree bearing this delicious fruit, and invade our peaceful kingdom."
One branch of this tree hung low over the river. A ripe fruit which was hidden by an ant's nest fell into the
water and was swept away by the rapid current. It drifted further and further south, until at last it reached
the city of Banaras on the banks of the Ganges River.
One morning, while King BrahmaÇatta of Banaras was bathing in the river between two fishermen's nets.
When he finished his bath, the nets were pulled in. Caught in the fine mesh was the shining golden fruit.
Struck with amazement, the fishermen picked it up and ran to show it to the king. The king examined it
curiously, for he had never seen such a fruit before.
"What is this glorious fruit?" he asked them.
The fishermen, who only knew how to catch fish for the royal table, replied: "We do not know, Sire."
"Call the foresters," ordered the king.
The foresters came and answered: "This is a mango, Sir."
"Where does it grow?"
"Not in our kingdom, Sire. This fruit grows far away in the distant valleys of the Himalayan mountains."
The mango was cut and the king tasted a slice. He gave the rest to his queens and ministers. They all
exclaimed in wonder, "Truly this is a fruit with a divine flavor. We have never tasted anything like this
before."
The days passed and King Brahmadatta longed to eat more of the delicious golden fruit. His desire grew
so intense that he was unable to rest in peace since his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the mango.
He joined with his men afterwards and sailed up the river.
After a long journey of many days and nights, they reached the mountain valley where the mango tree
stood on the river bank. The king got down with his followers, and they all had a delightful feast of the
rich juicy mangoes. When night fell, the king laid down to sleep at the foot of the tree, and his soldiers
stood guard. Blazing fires were lit on either side, to prevent wild animals from coming too near.
Late that night, when the king was fast asleep and the guards were about to fall asleep themselves, the
monkey king and his troop arrived. They jumped onto the mango tree and ate up all the mangoes that
were left. They made such noise that woke the king up and he saw the monkeys gliding from branch to
branch eating the mangoes. The king then ordered his archers: "Surround the tree and shoot all these
monkeys. Tomorrow morning we will eat monkey flesh with the mangoes. That will make a really tasty
meal."
The monkeys heard the king's words, and trembled with fear as they approached their chief: "Alas, Sire,
you warned us, but unknown to us some fruit must have fallen into the river; therefore strange men have
come here. Their leader has ordered his archers to shoot us. The tree is surrounded and we cannot escape.
What are we to do?"
"Do not be afraid, my children," said the monkey chief, "I will find a way to save you." Having
comforted his followers, he climbed up the highest branch of the tree, and from there crossed to another
branch that stretched over the river. With a mighty bound, he cleared the carefully measured branch,
saying to himself: "I will tie one end to a tree trunk here and fasten the other end around my waist. I will
leap back to the mango tree and my troop can escape over the reed bridge I will have made."
Swift as the wind, the monkey chief sprang back to where his followers were waiting anxiously. But he
had made a mistake in his calculations. He had not taken into account the part of the rope that tied around
his waist. The reed proved to be too short; however, he was able to grasp a branch but ended up using his
body as part of the bridge. With all his might, the monkey king grasped tightly to a branch and told his
troop: "Fast, cross this bridge to get to the other side of the river to safety."
One by one the eighty thousand monkeys saluted their chief, and ran lightly over his back, onto the reed,
and to the other side of the river.
Among the troop there was one evil monkey called Devadatta, who was very jealous of his leader. He
thought to himself: "This is the chance to destroy my enemy."
So he jumped very hard onto his chief's back. The monkey king's back broke and he was in great pain.
The heartless Devadatta crossed the reed to safety, leaving his stricken chief to die alone.
King Brahmadatta had been awake and saw everything that happened. He was filled with compassion for
the heroic monkey. At dawn he ordered his men to carefully lower the monkey chief from the branch
where he still clung. When this was done, and the wounded monkey was bathed in the sweetest
perfumes and clothed in a soft yellow robe. The king sat down beside the monkey chief and asked: "You
have risked your life by making that bridge for the other monkeys to cross over. What are you to them
and what are they to you, O great monkey?"
The dying monkey replied: "O king, they are my children, and I am their chief and guide. They loved and
trusted me. I do not grieve as I leave this world, because I have gained my subjects' freedom. In order for
you to become a good ruler, you must remember that the happiness and welfare of your people must
always come first."
Saying this, the monkey chief closed his eyes and died. King Brahmadatta ordered that the dead monkey
be given a funeral fit for a king. A shrine was erected at the place of the cremation. Torches were burnt
there and offerings of incense and flowers were made.
When the king returned to Banaras, he built another shrine in honor of the monkey chief, and commanded
all his subjects to pay homage to the memory of the brave animal. Throughout his reign, he ruled his
people wisely and well, as advised by the monkey chief.
Sơ Thiện
2. Đức Phật A-Di-Đà
A-Di-Đà Buddha (Amitabha)
3. Đức Quán Thế Âm Bồ Tát
Quán-Thế-Âm (Bodhisattva)
4. Sáu Phép Hòa Kính
The Six Rules of Harmony
7. Bốn Nhiếp Pháp
The Four Assistant Methods
8. Hiểu và Thuộc Nghi Thức Thông Thường
Understand and Remember The Common Ceremony
9. Ý Nghĩa Cờ Phật Giáo
The Meaning Of The Buddhist Flag
10. Người Nông Dân Phản Bội
The Disloyal Peasant
11. Con Khỉ Có Lòng Từ Bi
The Great-Hearted Monkey
13. Nghệ Thuật Nghe Pháp Thoại
How To Listen To Dharma Talk
14. Hạnh Lắng Nghe
Listening Quality
15. Chữ Hiếu Trong Đạo Phật
Being A Pious Buddhist To My Parents