Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

The Foolish, Timid Rabbit

Rabbit is scared of the Earth breaking and what would happen to him.  A coconut hits the ground behind him and he begins running because he thinks it is happening.  As he is running many rabbits and then other creatures follow them.  A lion stopped them and asked the rabbit to show him where the Earth was breaking up.  The lion saw the coconut that had dropped and let everyone know that they were safe.

The Turtle and the King

The King made a lake for his sons to swim in. They were scared of the turtle that was in the lake.  They ran to tell their father they saw a demon, and the demon made his guards capture the turtle.  The King and his men tried to figure out how best to kill the turtle when a guard said they should throw him into the lake. The turtle used reverse psychology on the King to make him think that was the worst punishment, which he received, but of course, go the last laugh as he swam to safety.

Floral sea turtle - freesvg.org

The Turtle and the Geese

Funny story on the importance of knowing when to keep your mouth shut.

The Cunning Crane and the Crab

As a pond is drying up and the fish have nowhere to go, a crane tries to trick them into believing he will take them to a lush lake. The crane took one of the fish to the lake to see and tell the others about it. He ends up tricking them and eating all of the fish but found a crab.  The crab was clever and made the crane let him carry him to the lake by putting his claws around him. The crane tries to kill the crab, but the crab scared him into putting him at the lake but kills him anyways. This is a classic tale of karma.

The Crocodile and the Monkey's Heart

Tale of the monkey outsmarting the crocodile who set out to get his heart for his mate.

The Crocodile in the River

Another tale of Buddha as a monkey outwitting a crocodile.

The Monkey Who Gathered Lotuses

Bodhisatta's father dwelled as a king and feared his sons would overtake him. Bodhisatta wanted to meet his father nonetheless, and his father tried to outwit him by sending him into the lake to pick lotuses where he knew an ogre resided. The monkey was able to swiftly pick the flowers without putting himself in danger of the ogre, and the ogre was so impressed he carried the flowers back to the monkeys for him. The father was so shocked, he literally died.

Goblin City

The crazy story of she-goblins controlling their sailor husbands and eating them and their prisoners. Luckily there was a kind fairy who hated the goblins and helped the sailors out.

Favorite: The Turtle and the King

I love epics and other stories that feature turtles as the protagonist. I'm like this kid.