Take Time to Taste the Strawberries!

The following parable was told by Buddha during one of his sermons or “in sutra” or “sutta”as some may refer to these teaching sessions. This is one of my favorite stories because it is not only loaded with wisdom, but it also shows a sense of humor! I have seen many versions, but all are basically the same story and the metaphors are all in place.

Although short, this story holds many lessons that one can take away from it. Without over-analysis of the metaphors for birth, life, death, past, present and future, good and bad, etc., I think that anyone reading this short and simple tale can take away some meaning that is relevant to their life. For me? Well, life is sweet when you take time to taste the strawberries (or smell the flowers). Don’t wait until it’s too late to figure it out! (It will still be sweet, but you won’t have as much time to enjoy it!)

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A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a cliff, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another hungry tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black appeared and started to gnaw away at the vine. The man saw a lucious strawberry growing out of the cliff face nearby. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. Ahh, how sweet is tasted!
-Buddha
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I love strawberries!

In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha)
Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment
Discovering Buddhism
What the Buddha Taught: Revised and Expanded Edition with Texts from Suttas and Dhammapada
Free Tibet T-shirt From Buddha_mind Zshop Seller
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching
Strawberry Lover