The Precious Stone and the Greater Gift
Story★★★★A monk found a precious stone, a precious jewel. A short time later, the monk met a traveller, who said he was hungry and asked the monk if he would share some of his provisions. When the monk opened his bag, the traveller saw the precious stone and, on an impulse, asked the monk if he could have it. Amazingly, the monk gave the traveller the stone. The traveller departed quickly, overjoyed with his new possession. However, a few days later, he came back, searching for the monk. He returned the stone to the monk and made a request: “Please give me something more valuable, more precious than this stone. Please give me that which enabled you to give me this precious stone!”
The point
A monk gives a precious stone to a hungry traveller, who later returns seeking the inner quality that enabled such generosity.