Eastern Stories and Legends: Week 12 Reading Diary D

The Crow That Thought It Knew

The Crow tried to fish but was not born to go beneath the waves like his master and thus drowned. This is pride before the fall. Could easily be rewritten multiple ways. One thing might be interesting to revisit Jesus and the Sphinx, bring them back and the sphinx tries to walk on water?

The Judas Tree

Judas Tree

Courtesy of Geography

Sons of the king want to see Judas tree but only judge it off what each one sees. This is a great story about judging a book by it’s cover and not seeing the whole truth of the matter. Interesting to develop this more into a story, could have different famous people meeting to discuss a colleague, could be fun.

The River Fish And The Money

Interesting story, the guy has his money dropped over the side of the boat and the spirit of Ganges brought it back to him in a roundabout way. I could see this occurring with Odysseus or something like that. Placing it in a different time. Or perhaps in Egypt? Ooo Mayan culture…

Goddess Ganges

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Dreamer In The Wood

Sakka testing Buddha. Buddha was living on a hillside eating the bark of the tree when there isn’t leaves or flowers. Sakka offers him boon, Buddha asks for no animal to be harmed for his being. Not really much I see to do with this scene.

The Rice Measure

King didn’t like that everything was valued so high so he fired his valuer and hired a fool. Fool gave value of 500 horses as a measure of rice. Horse trader bribed him to value a measure of rice as the whole city state. King fired valuer. Interesting story about a person trying to cheat the system getting cheated himself..

The Poisonous Tree

A village grows a poisonous tree that usually kills everyone so they can take all their wares. This would be a great story to expound upon. A traffic stop gone wrong type situation. Maybe drugs or arms? But in reality it is FBI or CIA in the car?

Mango Tree

Courtesy of Wikimedia

The Well Trained Elephant

Elephant is Buddha and is able to fly around. The king of one area got angry that the elephant was more revered than he was. Tried to get the elephant to fall of the cliff, elephant flew to new kingdom and became a prized asset. Good story about the worth of and respecting others.

The Wise Physician

A woman brought a dead child to the Buddha, he sent her for mustard seed and to find one house that hadn’t lost anyone to death. She was unable to find a house untouched by death and thus learned that everyone has to deal with it. Good story about how to recognize a truth and deal with the grief.

Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock

Eastern Stories and Legends: Week 12 Reading Diary C

The Hawk and the Osprey

This is a cool story about how each friend helps the two hawks protect their young from some men that would eat them. There are 4 friends total. This is easily converted into a buddy story where someone is trying to accomplish something and each friend is needed to contribute something to make it happen.

Grandmother’s Golden Dish

Golden Dish

Mildenhall Treasure

Courtesy of Wikipedia

This story seems to set up an ongoing feud between Devadatta and Bodisat. In this one they are both merchants. Devadatta tried to swindle a woman out of a golden dish. In the interim though Bodisat came and paid everything he had for the dish then left. Devadatta came back to offer a small payment for the dish and found he had been outmaneuvered and died of a heart attack. This could easily be redone now and days as a double cross thriller script. Change the dish to a cache of arms or corporate espionage…

The Elephant That Spared Life

The sheriff slanders the good people to the king. King orders them to be trampled by elephants, elephants won’t trample them. King hears that they are good people gives them all the sheriffs lands and makes him their slave. Good use of just desserts type justice here. Could easily change this to a story with the Charlotte's Web characters. Make Wilbur be the Bodisat and have the farmer be intent on killing him. Actually this is kinda the Web story already huh?

How The Antelope Was Caught

The antelope is made addicted to honey then lead inside the palace to where he is in danger. He doesn’t realize it until too late. So easily can be made into a drug deal story. I so see this being a drug dealer getting someone hooked on heroin or something.

Drug Addict

Courtesy of Flickr

The Banyan Deer

The King of deer was willing to sacrifice himself to save a doe that was with child. This is a pretty plain and straightforward story.

The Pupil Who Taught His Teacher

A brahmin said young in his family didn’t die because they were righteous.

The Teacher

Courtesy of Wizzler's Place

The Man Who Told A Lie

The guy lied about his merits and the garlands that were bestowed on him caused him pain. I feel like this was too easily resolved and the flowers should have been the end of him. Could expand this story and change it thus, I would think they would start choking the lies out of him.



Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock

Eastern Stories and Legends: Week 11 Reading Diary B

The Bull That Demanded Fair Treatment

Bodisat incarnate as a bull and convinced his master to bet money he could pull 100 laden carts. When the master called him a wretch though on the bet he wouldn’t move. Interesting story about showing respect to people in order to get what you want out of life. This might be an interesting story laid out in a leather bar….

WallStreet Bull

Courtesy of Flickr

The Bull That Proved His Gratitude

Again as a bull he is with an older woman who treats him well but she works to the bone. He gets a job hauling carts across a ford and gets her 1000 gold pieces, they grow old and die happy together. I don’t really see how I could better this one other than maybe making the old woman have to go to therapy for the anxiety?

The Horse That Held Out To The End

Buddha as a horse who was pampered. King was attacked and king had a knight to go battle each of the 7 kings. Knight said give me the horse, King did and even after getting injured the horse kept going till all 7 were captured. Then he begged for charity and passed away. A good story about having humility in victory. This could be seen in a sports game, possibly a basketball game, football something.

The Monkey That Saved The Herd

Buddha as monkey king. This story has a water ogre and they end up drinking the water through cleverness by using straws. They outsmarted the ogre because they didn’t have to touch the water themselves. Would be fun to have a mythological creature story again. Ooooo, retell it with loch ness?

Loch Ness Monster: Nessy

Courtesy of Wikimedia

The Mallard That Asked For Too Much

Buddha was born as a mallard with golden wings and went back to his former wife and daughter to give them golden wings. Wife got greedy and tried to pluck all the feathers, which right then turned to crane feathers, pure white.

The Merchant Who Overcame All Obstacles

The wagons got turned around in the desert after they had all thrown away their water. They found water under a rock. It’s working to resolve problems, but it would be tricky to redo this. Might be an opportunity to use the story type generator and try to do something different…

The Elephant That Was Honored In Old Age

I don’t really understand this story. Elephant was loyal subject and then put out to pasture, then was made to be yoked and worked which she asked to not be insulted and the Buddha chastised the king. I don’t see a moral out of this. Maybe we should respect our elders?

The Fateful Friend

Elephant with Dog, Spanish Floor Tiles

Courtesy of Wikipedia

And elephant and a dog are great friends, they are separated, elephant refuses food, then king gets dog back and happy. This would be kinda fun to write as a reporter reporting the return of the dog. Maybe there is a rally etc. He could interview the Buddha, king, elephant and dog.

Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock 1920

Eastern Stories and Legends: Week 11 Reading Diary A

The Hare That Ran Away:

This was an interesting story in the vein of Chicken Little. It also talks about how rumor is repeated to make it fact. Good example of the telephone type thing in elementary school. This happens way too often in the world. Actually it might be kinda fun to put this story in an elementary school doing the telephone game as a story.

Arctic Hare

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Monkey And The Crocodile:

“By Hook or by crook.” I wonder if this is actually where this saying originates from?

I remember this type of story too, however it was a turtle or something that had the person on their back. Anyway this is a good story about trusting the wrong people and being deceived but then deceiving that person to get out of the predicament.

The Spirit That Lived In A Tree:

I like this story. It is about the noble sacrifice and in offering to be killed slowly to save the younger trees the tree spirit is given a reprieve by the king. I definitely see the possibility of the children talking with the trees to help them.

Tree Spirit

Courtesy of Wikipedia

The Hare That Was Not Afraid To Die:

This story is a little weird. It has a jackal, monkey and otter in it but they seem to not really be a part of the story. The hare is Buddha and he offers up his own flesh for the god who came down to eat. So this is about giving the ultimate sacrifice for the benefit of another, even one who you don’t know. Not really sure how I could redo this one though. Maybe be interesting to tie this to Jesus?

The Parrot That Fed His Parents:

The Buddha incarnated as a parrot and got captured then convinced the brahmin he was righteous because he gives charity, and is feeding his children and parents. This could definitely be a story told in medieval England or such. A parent having to steal bread to feed the family.

The Man Who Worked To Give Alms

This is very similar to the story of Job. Wow these intertwined with Christianity a lot. Anyway, the Buddha is a merchant that wants to give alms. Sakka, the god, wants to test him so he takes away all of his wealth, and the merchant still tries to give alms. Sakka finds he is in it for the spiritual knowledge you gain and gives him back his wealth. This could definitely have been a longer, more intense trial.

The King Who Saw The Truth

Buddha incarnate King wants to just give everything including his own body parts, just to give. He feels joy from that. Sakka again tests him and King cuts out his eyes and gives them to Sakka. Sakka grants him vision of absolute truth. In giving something you receive even more back. Very interesting how these play into the whole karma setup.  Yama keeping the ledger and all.

Absolute Truth

Courtesy of Flickr

Eastern Stories and Legends by Marie L. Shedlock