The Four Trees

Once apon a time in a land not too far away, four trees started to grow on top of a small hill.

Three of the trees are very selfish, arrogant and proud trees always boasting how big and tall they will become, teasing each other how they will live forever.

The fourth tree is all happy and content, just to be a tree.

As time passes the three proud and selfish trees spend all their days growing as tall and impressive as they can, boasting each and everyday how wonderful they will be

The fourth tree listens but is all happy and content, just to be a tree.

Many years pass and the three trees all look impressive and have grown straight and tall, but they have grown ever more arrogant, selfish and proud, boasting and teasing constantly how they are better than the other and how surly they will now live forever.

The fourth tree isn’t the best looking or the tallest but is all happy and content, just to be a tree.

The woodcutter comes along and cuts the three proud, arrogant trees down to the ground. The first tree is made into the City Gates the second tree a Great Warship and the third tree into a Great Place of Worship.

Each of the three trees is proud and happy of their new position in society, boasting that they are better than the other and how they really will live forever.

The fourth tree is all happy and content, just to be a tree.

A great army comes to attack, the City Gates are destroyed, the great Warship is sunk in the harbour and the Great Place of Worship burnt to the ground.

Only the fourth tree survives growing on the hill all happy and content, just to be a tree.

The fourth tree knows that it can not live forever. That the day must come when the fourth tree will too pass away,

But not before it sets seed to Four little Trees growing on that hill, all Happy and Content, Just To Be a tree!

Author: Dhamma Tapasa

Moral of Story

Impermanence is the nature of everything, when we truly know the impermanence in ourselves and others we understand how precious each and every moment is. All that matters in life is to live each moment truly happy and content just to be.

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Please note that Dhamma Tāpasā is a real life Monk and the spiritual name of Andrew Hallas, I have been continuously using my spiritual name Dhamma Tāpasā, the name given to me upon full ordination as a Buddhist monk in Northern Thailand, however it wasn’t until I needed a bank account did I realise I had to use my birth name as well.