Summary
The Teachings of the Mysterious Village
Once upon a time, there lived a very peculiar old man in a village. The old man spread the teaching, "Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself," among the villagers. This teaching meant that one should not do unpleasant things to others. However, the old man himself struggled to put it into practice.
One day, the old man shouted loudly in the village square, "I hate watermelon! So, everyone, don’t eat watermelon!" The villagers were initially surprised, but they gradually started laughing. A young person exclaimed, "Then, doesn't that mean you have to eat watermelon yourself?" The old man, embarrassed, looked away, and the villagers burst into laughter at his reaction.
That night, the villagers gathered and talked about the humorous aspect of the old man’s inability to practice his own teaching. Then, the village’s watermelon farmer suggested, "Well then, let’s have a watermelon party tomorrow!" The villagers were overjoyed and decided to bring a lot of watermelons to enjoy together. The old man, realizing he had no choice, agreed to participate.
The next day, in front of the watermelon, the old man thought to himself, "It's difficult to eat something I dislike," but eventually took a bite. In that moment, he was surprised by the sweet and juicy flavor. "Oh, this isn’t bad at all!" he laughed happily. The villagers watched this, learning how much both the teaching and the old man himself had changed. Thus, the village became brighter, and the teaching, "Do not impose on others what you do not wish for yourself," transformed from just a lesson into a means of enjoyable interaction within the community.
