The Poor Man and His Cat
Story★★★★A very poor and holy man lived in a remote part of China. Every day before his time of meditation to show his devotion he put a dish of butter up on the windowsill as an offering to God since food was so scarce and he wanted to give something that meant something to him.
One day his cat came in and his cat ate the butter. To remedy this situation, he began tying the cat to the bedpost each day before his quiet time.
This man was so revered for his piety that others began to join him as his disciples and worshiped as he did in the manner in which he worshiped. Generations later, long after this righteous man had died, his followers placed an offering of butter on the windowsill during their time of prayer and meditation.
And each one bought a cat and tied it to the bedpost.
Arnall, Jeremy, “The Importance of Tradition” (AudioVerse teaching 32850).
The point
A poor man in China ties his cat to prevent it from eating butter he offers as a sacrifice, leading generations of followers to mimic this practice.