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Once upon a time, there lived a group of fishermen. Every morning, at 5 AM, they woke up to prepare their nets for the day’s fishing. It was important for them to cast their nets before dawn for a good catch. Usually, they would try to sell the daily catch once back onshore, but each day was unpredictable.
One morning, the fishermen headed out to sea. However, the catch was slow, and by the time they got back to the market, it was already much later than their usual time. When they sold all their fish, it was already very late, and so they tried to find somewhere to stay for the night. Unfortunately, all the lodgings were already closed.
Luckily, they came across a florist just closing up. One of the fishermen, Scott, took his chance and went to ask the florist if they could stay in his shop for the night. The florist looked at the group of fishermen and said, “I’m not sure, as you can see, this is a flower shop, not a hotel.”
“Yes, we understand, but we’ve walked for hours trying to find a place to stay but without luck. Take us in just for one night...please?” Scott pleaded.
The florist said, “Well…I do have a storeroom where you guys could probably bunk up for the night, but I must warn you again, this is not a hotel so I have no beddings for any of you.”
“Oh, a storeroom would be great! As long as we’re not sleeping on the street, a storeroom sounds lovely!” Scott said.
The florist agreed and let them in. The shop was filled with beautiful blooming flowers of all colors. The fragrant scent of the flowers filled the entire shop and was strong but pleasant.
Scott and the others were exhausted after a long day, and they couldn’t wait to get some rest. The florist showed them to the storeroom and the washroom. The fishermen quickly got ready for bed. But as the night wore on, none of them could fall asleep. They tossed and turned and couldn’t understand why sleep would not come.
Scott decided to get up for some water. As he walked past their fishing net and baskets, a thought suddenly came to him, “What a familiar smell!” He noticed though the flowers smelled nice, the fragrance was too strong and foreign to him. So, he took the fishing baskets and net into the storeroom and settled them next to his workmates. Within minutes, they all drifted into a deep sleep. The familiar scent of fish seemed to have done its magic.
In this story, the fishermen are unable to fall asleep due to the fragrance of the flowers. This reminds us that if we do not observe our habitual tendencies, then it is like the fishermen who got used to the scent of fish and become attached to it.
Just as Venerable Master Hsing Yun says,
“Not mending minor flaws leads to failure, like a stone worn away day by day, unnoticed. Doing small wholesome deeds leads to a wholesome outcome, as the scent of an orchid in a hidden valley grows stronger day by day, unnoticed.”
It is important for us to self-reflect regularly, to observe our intentions, because no matter how small or subtle something is, it can most certainly affect our future if we let it fester.
This story also highlights that our habits subtly affect our lives. Often, we are unaware of our habits and their influence on us.
Another saying goes, “One takes the color of one’s company.” This refers to the people we associate with, our thoughts, our behavior, and what we say. All these, whether good or bad, kind or unkind, unconsciously affect our demeanor and character. Even our accomplishments in life are related to the habits of our body, speech, and mind.
Our mind is like a pure white canvas, it is our choice to make it fragrant or taint it with a fishy smell. We all make such decisions throughout our days. Should we be kind, or selfish? Do we befriend the wise or the foolish?
A quote from a Buddhist text reminds us, “Do not associate with the foolish. Associate with the wise instead. Even if a person is goodhearted from the outset, should he take wickedness as his companion, it will surely cause evil in the future.”
Drug addiction is an important societal issue today. There are campaigns everywhere that repeat the message, “Say NO to drugs!”
In reality, anything that harms our health, body, and mind, anything that affects the harmony of our family, anything that damages our character and wisdom, or that violates our body, reputation, safety and so on, those are also drugs that we should cease immediately and guard against.
The key to self-awakening is in a moment of mindfulness. One makes the conscious choice to be like a fragrant flower or scented like a fish. A truly brave person is one that can face their flaws and challenge their wicked habitual tendencies.
