Skip to main content

Monk and shoemaker

Dieu Ke, an abbot of a large temple standing in Bich Khe village. He was a person who didn’t know much about Buddhist scripture but, because he was patience to follow elder monks so that he had studied a little. At last, Dieu Ke became one of elder monks and had the current position after many years of hard work. Since the time he was abbot, he had been welcomed at everywhere he came. People respected him as Buddha who directed other monks. Dieu Ke went to many other temples, stayed and ate at those then he himself discovered the truth of life, to lead a religious life was nothing but a way to live. And so he didn’t obey five commandments of Buddha which made him feel difficult to live. About virtue, he was not person who did evil things but he was also not true monk.
Dieu Ke used to steal money people donated and used it himself but no one seemed to know it because he’s skillful.
vietnamese fairy tales
Dieu Ke had a friend who lived in the same village and was a shoemaker. The shoemaker was person who had much knowledge of life so that it’s not unexpected as they easily became best friends. The shoemaker used to bring food and wine to his friend and then they came in Dieu Ke’s room, locked and drank. And while they drinking, they didn’t hesitate to tell the other secrets that not only came from where they lived but also come from outside. The shoemaker could keep the secrets and so that Dieu Ke really liked him. Whenever the shoemaker in difficulty needing money, Dieu Ke always helped him.
Though Dieu Ke had never had a day off reading Buddhist scripture but that’s life not all people liked him. Local officials though didn’t know Buddhist scripture, doubted what Dieu Ke read everyday wasn’t Buddhist scripture. So that, they always found the way to discover the truth.
That time, in the world of monks the name of an old monk who was living in a southern temple was spread. He was known as a great knowledge person, virtuous and ever coming to home of the Buddha. He was appointed as a national monk by the current king. The position could let him to go to all temples in whole the country and lived in where he liked. Though he was very old, the monk usually ate vegetarian dishes and slept on floor. Especially, he followed the way to understand people, “No Words”. He didn’t talk that he only used gestures and acts to communicate with others.
The news that the old monk would come there spread in whole of this village. Local officials had prepared all things to welcome the old monk and that’s the chance they could unmask Dieu Ke. They would not hesitate to expel Dieu Ke if he was not true monk.
Dieu Ke felt very worried as he heard about that. He’s sure that he couldn’t pass the old monk's example and so that he would lose everything, his position, the easy life and respect of people.
“Alas! I will lose all, money from fields and money from people. My life would end at there”, though Dieu Ke. He didn’t want the thing happened so he thought trying to find someway to escape from that. Then, he remembered his friend, the shoemaker who always thought that he was knowledge and clever. Dieu Ke sent his friend a message and then his friend came. After the shoemaker heard whole the fear of Dieu Ke, he appeased.
“I thought that you have something big deal. Don’t worry, I will answer all question of the old for you”, said the shoemaker.
“How?”asked Dieu Ke.
“It’s not difficult friend”, said the shoemaker, “I look like you and I can pretend as if I am you. What you need is requesting people to let you stay with only the old monk in a private room and then I will do the rest”.
Dieu Ke felt really peace in mind as he heard his friend said that.
Few days later, the old monk came. The old monk agreed with local officials to check Dieu Ke. When the private room was locked all lights in this room were spread from oil lamps. The shoemaker had his hair gone, wore in monk clothes. He went out to be challenged.
The challenge started. The old monk didn’t speak he slowly raised his hand, touched on head and groped. Immediately, the shoemaker raised his foot and stomped strongly on ground. After that, the old man face up to sky and then touched on his armpit by his hand. The shoemaker had his hand behind his back and then lightly punched on his back few. The old monk smiled he raised three his fingers up but the shoemaker glowered he raised five fingers up.
The old monk nodded his head, didn’t gesture more he found the way out this room while the shoemaker found the way to hide himself again.
Before the old monk left, he left local officials a paper which was result of the exam. That was:
“I have ever gone to many places but have never seen anyone who had knowledge like Dieu Ke, understanding deeply Buddhism. He not only understood my gestures but also he could reply me exactly by his gestures. Firstly, I implied that, keeping Buddha’s teachings in your head and he immediately replied me, stepping on temptations of the devil. Then I implied that, cranes bring people's wishes under their wings to Buddha and then he replied me, tortoises bring stones standing front temples. At last, I raised up three fingers to refer to three rules then he raised five fingers to refer to five precepts and that’s not thing normal monks could know. He could fastly and correctly reply the proved he was person who had deep knowledge about Buddhism that very few people could reach his grade.
After local officials and others read the paper, all of them made the way to Dieu Ke and said sorry him.
“We seem to be blind as we stand front of a living Buddha but dare to doubt. All things because of rumors, bad words of bad guys. Now all things are unmasked and all my doubt had gone. We come here to say sorry and hope you can forgive our foolishness”, said the people.
Of course, Dieu Ke had no reason to keep the thing in his head he pleasantly forgave them. The people happily left after that. When all of them had gone, Dieu Ke found his way meeting his friend.
“What have you done?” asked Dieu Ke, “Now, my name is much more worthy than ever”
“It’s nothing”, said the shoemaker, “He asked me if I made hats and I replied him I only made shoes by stepping hardly on ground. Then, he pointed in his armpit to referred that he wanted a shoe couple made of armpit skin but I only had back skin which is also great to make shoes so I punched on my back to let him know. At last, he wanted to buy a shoe couple by three “quan” but I didn’t agree I wanted five “quan”. So that he left because he thought that’s expensive, old poor man”, said the shoemaker.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"

Book Introductions

1. Complete Collection of Vietnamese Fairy Tales - A Treasury of Legends and Folklore

Discover over 240 enchanting Vietnamese fairy tales, translated into English and beautifully illustrated. This collection is a treasure trove of legends and folklore that reflect Vietnam's rich cultural heritage. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

2. Vietnamese Fairy Tales - Stories in English and Vietnamese

This bilingual collection features 162 Vietnamese fairy tales in both English and Vietnamese, with stunning illustrations. Ideal for language learners and cultural enthusiasts. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books

3. The Treasury of Fables

An enchanting collection of timeless fables, written in English and beautifully illustrated. Perfect for all ages, these stories offer valuable moral lessons. Available as an ebook on: Kobo, Apple Books


Read more: 
List of Vietnamese fairy tales
Tale 176: Idiot
Tale 177:  Plan to kill husband
Tale 179: Rock dog and two men
Tale 180: Blind intelligent groom
Tale 181: Make princess speak
-----
Truyện cổ tích Việt nam (For people who can read Vietnamese)
Vietnamese historical stories (For people who love history)

Essential Reads: Engaging Books You Can't Miss!

Ebook Banner

Nhãn:

Comments

Post a Comment

BÀI ĐĂNG ĐƯỢC XEM NHIỀU

Thanh Giong

Once  upon a time, a woman was old but she had not given birth a child. One day, when she went to her field, she saw a stranger footsore on the ground. The big footsore made her surprise and said: “omg, this footsore is so big” the she put her foot into the footsore. More 9 months later, she gave birth to a little boy named Giong. The boy was extraordinary that he was over three years old but had not spoken. He only knew lying and smiling. vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com That year, the enemies they were known An planed to attack the country of the boy. They were merciless. Wherever they had gone, houses were ruined, fields were fired, people were killed. The sight behind them is mess of corpse and blood and ashes.The King was worry he forced his servants to look for person who could fight against the enemies.  One day, a servent went to Giong’s village while the woman was holding the boy in her arms, she said sadly that: “Giong, I wonder that when you hav...
Read more

List of Vietnamese fairy tales

Vietnamese  fairy tales includes many stories as Tam and Cam; So Dua; Hundred – knot- bamboo tree... which were spread in folk. Each stories has  its own meaning. I think I can not translate exactly each word into english but I will try my best to convey its meaning to you. Hope you like them!
1 comment
Read more

So dua - Coconut boy

Once upon a time, there in a village had a couple who worked as servants for a landlord. Although they were over fifty years old, they had ever not had a child. They were sad about that, but they had never given up to dream about a child. One day, it's a very hot day, when the wife was working in the field and felt very thirsty. She seeked for water, but she didn't see any but a little water in a skull which was in a hole beside an ancient tree. She had no choice but to drink it. Right the moment she drank, the feeling of cold water running from her throat to her stomach made her felt very comfortable. As a magic, she was pregnant after that short time. Then, the husband died before he got the happiness looking his child be born. After nine months and ten days, the wife gave birth a son but he didn't look like any child on the world. He had no feet, no leg, and even no body. He just had a head with full of eyes, nose, ear, hair and mouth on it. He didn't ugly but was ...
Read more

Bài 1.5: Cách sử dụng at, on, in cho thời gian, ngày, tháng, năm, mùa.

Chào các bạn! Bởi vì mình có hay dich truyện và một vài thứ linh tinh khác nên thường bắt gặp ngày, tháng năm. Thật ra khôngkhó để sử dụng đúng nhưng mỗi lần cần đến mình lại phải tra lại tra cứu. Điều đó rất mất thời gian nên hôm nay mình viết một bài liên quan đến at, on, in + thời gian để giúp bạn nào chưa biết và giúp chính mình nhớ được cách sử dụng của các giới từ at, on, in và dạng thời gian được theo sau giới từ đó.
Post a Comment
Read more

The Tale of the Hundred - knot Bamboo tree

Once upon a time, there had a boy who was poor, had no field. Therefore, he found the way to work for a landlord. He was healthy, worked hard and great in working so the landlord wanted him to work for him long time without any pay. One day, he called the boy to come. "You are honest and healthy. If you agree to work for me in three years without pay, I will let you marry with my only daughter after that." The boy agreed. He believed completely. He worked very hard, help the landlord turn richer that he could build more houses, buy more fields and cattles. Then, time passed. Three years nearly crossed, the boy always remembered his master's promise while his master, the landlord didn't want to do his promise. He in secret had found another boy for his daughter, a son of another landlord in that area. Therefore, what he need was a reason to refuse the boy. One day, he called the boy to come. "You have worked very hard for three years, waken early, slept late....
Read more

The love story of Chuc and Nguu

Deeply  in forest where rarely people stepped   on there had a pond which were filled by cool clear water. The pond had never dried so that was where fairies used to gather. They often took water from the pond and sometime they waded in it to bath. And while they were bathing they always left their clothes on shore. Though, they had never been discovered by anyone who lived on ground. He, a woodcutter, lived alone in a hut standing by edge of forest. His name was Nguu. Everyday, he went in forest, cut down tree then brought it to market to sell. One day, he went in forest to deeply that he didn’t remember the way to get out the forest. It’s random he headed to the pond at the middle of forest. That time, three fairies were romping in the pond. And of course they were the most beautiful girls Nguu had ever seen so he immediately was enchanted their beauty. Then, he caught a plan that he wanted a fairy to be his wife. He saw sets of white clothes which were left on grass n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thach Sanh and Ly Thong Chapter 1

Chap 1:  fight with huge snake  Once upon a time, a woodcutter and  his wife were over sixty years old but they had had not any children. Although they were sad, they still did good thing and hoped God would give them one child. At last, their kindness had come to King of heaven who requested his son to fly down and reincarnate to be the old couple’son. They had just enjoyed the happiness for a short time. Then, the old man died, before his son was born. Vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com After that, the woman gave birth to a beautiful, strength boy. She named him Thach Sach. The poor boy grew up with no father then his mother also left after few years living with him. They only left him an ax and a pair of shorts. Day by day, he went to forest, cut tree, split them then took to market to get money. When he was thirteen, king of heaven forced his servants down to teach him magic and martial arts. Then they was back heaven, Thach Sanh continued living alone in...
Read more

Cuong Bao fight against gods

Once  upon a time, there appeared a fisher who had huge and muscular body and especially, he had extraordinary strength. He was combative and wild. He called himself Cuong Bao. His father died when he was born so he lived with his mother. When he grew up, he left and went to the shore, built a hut and lived in there working as a fisher. Cuong Bao liked to sing, he used to sing whenever he felt happy. He had only a friend who was Tao Quan, the god ruled ground because Tao Quan liked to sing, too. Tao Quan and Cuong Bao treated the other very well. Cuong Bao used to invite Tao Quan to drink when he caught fresh fish and shrimps and Tao Quan, on other side, used to let him know things which only gods knew. Therefore, Cuong Bao always foresaw all things that made him turned haughtier that he didn’t respect anyone, ghosts or devils and including gods, he also didn’t respect.   Since he got married, he didn’t treat his mother as well as the before he used to be against his mothe...
Post a Comment
Read more

The tale of waiting - husband stone

Once  upon a time, a couple had born two children one boy and one girl. The boy was 11 years old and his sister was 6 years old. Everyday when the couple went to farm to work they always asked the boy to take care of his sister. His mother usually added: “Don’t make your sister cry. Your father will punish you if you do.” vietnamesefairytales.blogspot.com Everyday, the boy and the girl played in their garden together or play with your friend around their house. Until they were bored they stopped playing to eat some sugar canes. The boy used to take a knife to cut sugar canes.     One day, when the boy took the knife cut a sugar cane but the blade flew toward his sister’s head although the hilt was in his hand. The girl was fainting immediately, blood poured from her head. The boy was very scared he thought he had made a very serious mistake. He believed that his father would kill him. Therefore, he left his home and went away. He went to hide himself fr...
Read more