The Crying Fish and the Wise Chaplain

In a past life, the Bodhisatta served as a wise chaplain to a king. One day, a group of fishermen caught a large fish and brought it to the shore. As they began preparing the fish for cooking, something unexpected happened—the fish began to cry out in distress. However, the fish wasn’t lamenting its fate because of fear or pain; it was worried about something else entirely.

The fish cried, not because it feared death, but because it didn’t want its wife to believe that it had abandoned her. It was concerned that she might think it had run off with another fish. Moved by this unusual expression of love and loyalty, the Bodhisatta approached the fishermen and heard the fish’s lament. Feeling sympathy for the creature, the Bodhisatta told the fishermen to release the fish back into the river, asking them not to take its life.

Touched by the Bodhisatta’s kindness and wisdom, the fishermen obeyed and set the fish free, allowing it to return to its home in the water.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the Buddha’s time, one of his disciples longed for his former wife. The Buddha, understanding the emotional conflict within the disciple, reminded him of this past life story. The fish in the tale, the Buddha explained, symbolized the disciple’s attachment to his wife, which was ultimately harmful to him. In the past life, just as the fish had been caught by the fishermen’s net while distracted by love for his wife, the disciple was at risk of being trapped by his attachment to her in the present life.

By sharing the story, the Buddha reminded the disciple that his longing for the woman was not only futile but dangerous, and just as the Bodhisatta had saved the fish from death, the Buddha had saved the disciple from the emotional entanglement that could lead to his downfall.

Moral:

The story of the fish teaches several key lessons:

1. The Dangers of Attachment: The fish’s plight shows how attachment can lead to danger and misfortune. Just as the fish was caught because it was distracted by thoughts of its wife, the disciple’s emotional attachment to his former wife could trap him in suffering.
2. Compassion and Wisdom: The Bodhisatta’s compassion for the fish teaches the value of acting with kindness and understanding. By listening to the fish’s lament and feeling pity for its plight, the Bodhisatta demonstrated that true wisdom comes from recognizing the suffering of others, even in unexpected places.
3. Selflessness in Love: The fish’s concern for its wife’s feelings, even in the face of its own death, highlights the depth of selfless love. However, the story also suggests that sometimes, attachments based on love can blind one to the larger picture and lead to harm. It’s a reminder to balance love with wisdom and to not let attachment cloud our judgment.
4. The Importance of Letting Go: Just as the fish was saved by being freed from the fishermen’s net, the disciple was being urged by the Buddha to release his attachment and move beyond his emotional attachment to the past. The story suggests that true freedom comes when one lets go of unhealthy attachments.

Ultimately, this story serves as a reminder that while love and attachment are natural, they can become sources of suffering if they distract us from the path of wisdom and well-being.