THE LAMA’S TEACHINGS

A deceitful man who cheated his lama went to another village. In that village there was a family a thief did not leave in peace. They saw a lama coming and offered him their respects. After they had offered him meat, butter and savory dzamba, they said, “Your reverence, previously a thief has taken many of our household’s things and made it not easy to take care of ourselves. If he steals the single cow that we have left as well, we’ll have no means to live. Please instruct us as to how the thief won’t be able to accomplish it by any means.”

The lama did not know what to do. At that point a mouse came out of a crack in the stone. Without thinking the lama said, “He’s come out.” As soon as the mouse heard people talking, it froze at once. “He’s standing there,” the lama said. Then the mouse scampered away in fright. The lama said, “He’s fled. This is the teaching. You two recite this a hundred times each night and if the thief robs you, he’ll get sick.”

Then one dark moonless night, the thief came to steal the cow. He opened the door and crept in silently. At the same exact time the old couple had finished their supper, and were praying, “He’s come.” The thief immediately stood still.

“He’s standing there.” The thief, knowing things were not right, wanted to go, and he retreated.

“He’s fled.” The thief thought, “They definitely know,” and he fled away in leaps and bounds.

—Rin chen rdo rje, Qinghai Folk Literature 1, 1988