Lao Niu pays off debt

 

Lao Niu pays off debt

 

After the old Burmese man Wu Baigui told Agudengba, Chu Sanxing, Dawa and Xiang Qima two stories about pig reincarnation, he also told a story about cow reincarnation.

The old man Wu Baigui said:

In the village where I live, there is an old Chinese doctor known as Master Tang.

Master Tang is an ancestral Chinese medicine practitioner, and he is the fifth generation. His ancestral home moved from Hubei, China to Sichuan, and then to Myanmar via Yunnan.

In addition to his superb medical skills, Master Tang also studied Taoist magic, Feng Shui, and numerology. He also practiced Buddhism diligently throughout his life and copied many Buddhist scriptures every year to give away to others. He has many legendary stories, such as witnessing two snakes transforming into dragons, fighting for the river channel back to the sea, and a wall of water rising dozens of meters high in the mountains...

Master Tang once told me a story about the reincarnation of a cow. What he was talking about was that their family had a cow that was very understanding of human nature, very obedient, and worked very hard. Other people's cows need to be watched over by cowherds to prevent them from damaging crops or getting lost, but the Tang family's cow doesn't need anyone to take care of it at all. It goes out to graze on its own, without touching a single crop, and returns when it's full. Home, never run around.

Day after day, year after year, more than ten years have passed, and the cow is getting old. One day, Lao Niu suddenly fell ill. His condition lasted for more than a month and did not improve. It seemed that the old cow was already dying, but it still refused to die. It looked extremely painful and it was unbearable to watch.

The old man Wu Baigui said:

Master Tang understood what was going on. He prepared incense, wax, candles and other items, and prayed devoutly to Guanyin Bodhisattva, hoping that the Bodhisattva would bless Lao Niu from the sea of suffering and be liberated quickly.

Then, Master Tang said something to Lao Niu: "Master Niu, you come to my house to be a cow in this life. I know you must be here to repay the debt you owe me. But even if you are a cow for several more lives, the cow will How much money can you make? You still don’t know how to pay it off! If the world is not right now, who would regard a cow as a human being? I have now prayed and made a vow in front of Guanyin Bodhisattva. I don’t want you to pay back these debts from my previous life. Please bless you. Let you escape from the animal realm, be reborn in a good path, and practice hard to be liberated."

After listening to this, Lao Niu burst into tears. He knelt in front of Master Tang like a human being and kowtowed like pounding garlic. He knelt for four or five minutes and then passed away. He was smiling after his death...

It turns out that this Mr. Niu was a cowherd boy from Master Tang's same village. He received a lot of help from Master Tang during his lifetime. Unexpectedly, he turned into a cow after he died of illness to repay his debts and repay his kindness. ​

The old man Wu Baigui said to Agudengba, Chu Sanxing, Dawa and Xiang Qima:

The cause and effect are really true, and it is sad and alarming.

Master Tang is also particularly opposed to others eating beef. When Master Tang was a child, he avoided his grandfather when he ate beef, loach, etc. If he was found out, he would not only be scolded, but his grandfather would also take away the beef and throw it away. Even on the pilgrimage, when Master Tang saw a beef seller, he would go over and scold them, telling them to close the stall, or threatening to kick them out. When the beef seller saw Master Tang's solemn appearance and loud voice, he scolded him as crazy and closed the stall and left... From then on, the Burmese people in that area were prohibited from eating beef, and the folk custom continues to this day.

The old man Wu Baigui sang a song "Liberation":

 

People's hearts are fickle and unpredictable,

The world is turbid and cannot be seen clearly.

 

Debts are repaid with a steelyard,

There is no equality on either side of the scale.

 

Receiving payment is like asking the King of Hell;

It's harder to ask for an account than to go to the sky.

 

If the debts from the previous life are not paid off,

Reincarnation in the animal realm.

 

The only way to escape from the sea of suffering,

Only by repenting and being kind can one be liberated.