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There was a landlord who owned many plots of farmland. He entered the village with a thick book to collect rents and taxes. To welcome the landlord, the farmer who leased the farmland from the landlord wanted to capture the only chicken he had and kill it to treat his guest.
When the landlord saw how the chicken panicked and ran around crying in grief when the farmer was going to capture it, a compassionate thought arose in his mind, and so he said, "Don't catch the chicken, don't kill it. Nature wants to see all beings live and flourish, and I can't bear to eat its meat. I would be satisfied with just plain white rice and vegetables."
Because of that, the chicken was spared its life.
After having the meal, the landlord stepped out of the house and saw the hen hatching its eggs in a nest. He was relieved and thankful that he had the thought of keeping the hen so that it could take care of its eggs. He said to the farmer, "I'll waive your rent this time, take good care of living creatures."
The farmer was inspired by the landlord's kindness and pledged to sow the farmland to his best effort and cherish all things alive. Since then, he never killed any animal and took care of his cattle and livestock.
During a war, when the army was going to raid the farmer's house, they saw a very devout Buddhist reciting sutras in front of the Buddha statue. When the soldiers arrived in front of the house, the sound of the sutra recitation made them stop, calm down, and even repent. As a result, the army laid down their weapons, which ceased the turmoil. Since then, everyone has played their part and stood by their profession to make their living, and the whole society has since become peaceful.
Compassion is like a compass that guides people toward the right path in life. We may want to calm down and think of how to make our society stable and harmonious. Such is a compassionate thought. Having the thought to relieve others of suffering is being compassionate. Navigate life with compassion, don't let people lose their way in life. Lead the way to gather kindness through practical action. This is the right direction in life.
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