Doing Favour For Yourself

One rainy day, a man was taking shelter under the porch of a hut. He saw Guan Yin (the Goddess of Mercy) passing by carrying an umbrella. He said,"Guan Yin Buddha, can you do me a favour? Please shelter me a short distance."

Guan Yin said,"I'm in the rain and you're being sheltered. There's no raindrops under the porch. You don't need my shelter."


This man quickly jumped into the rain and said,"I'm now in the rain. Shouldn't you shelter me?"

Guan Yin said,"We both are in the rain now. I'm not wet because I've the umbrella. You're wet because you don't have the umbrella. So it's not I who shelter myself but the umbrella's sheltering me. If you want shelter, go and get an umbrella! You don't have to ask me."


The following day, this man encountered some problems and he went to a temple and prayed. Inside he saw a person looked exactly like Guan Yin praying in front of the statue of Guan Yin.

He asked,"Are you Guan Yin, the Buddha?"

The person answered,"Yes, I am."

"Why do you pray to yourself?"

Guan Yin smiled and said,"I too encounter some problems. But I know, instead of asking favour from others, why not ask from myself?"


#When encountering problems many people usually ask others for help without trying to solve them on their own in the first instance. They forget that every person has vast potential in solving his/her own difficulties. Regretably many people do not know of this potential, that they can be their own savior.#



( Photo: Courtesy of Oriental Daily News )