A Flock of Fools: Ancient Buddhist Tales of Wisdom and Laughter from the One Hundred Parable Sutra

by Kazuaki Tanahashi (Translator), Peter Levitt (Retold by)

Overview

One hundred illuminating tales of the foibles and follies of everyday fools, this elegant, humorous, and masterful little book of wisdom is a welcome addition to the Buddhist canon "The One Hundred Parable Sutra" is known as the most humorous sutra in all of Buddhist literature. Here, Kazuaki Tanahashi, the celebrated translator, calligrapher, and Dogen scholar, and Peter Levitt, an award-winning poet, storyteller, and Zen practitioner, have translated and retold these jewel-like parables with storytelling panache for students, teachers, and seekers everywhere. With appropriate commentary, each tale becomes a simple lesson for everyday living. From the potter who seeks fame to the woman who possesses great lust, these tales are told with a gentle clarity that magnifies our appetites and delusions. In doing so, they become an accurate mirror of the human condition. A Flock of Fools is a perfect little book of wisdom, laughter, and compassion. Beautifully designed for gift giving, this handsome volume is illustrated with seventeen original brushwork drawings by Tanahashi, one of the world's most renowned calligraphers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802141330
Publisher:	Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date:	05/05/2004
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.75(w) x 7.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

	Foreword	9
	Note on the Original Text and Acknowledgments	13
	Prologue	19
Volume 1
1	Eating Salt	24
2	Fool's Milk	25
3	A Man Whose Head was Hit by a Pear	26
4	The Unfaithful Wife	28
5	The Thirsty Man	30
6	A Father Who Killed His Child	32
7	The Impostor	34
8	The Thief and the Treasure House	36
9	The Virtuous Father	39
10	The Three-Story Tower	40
11	The Brahman Who Killed a Child	42
12	Brown Sugar Broth	45
13	A Quick Temper	46
14	The Guide	49
15	The Quack Doctor	50
16	Sugarcane	52
17	The Halfpenny Loan	53
18	The Whetstone in a Tower	54
19	The Begging Bowl	56
20	The Tyrant	58
21	A Woman Who Wished to Have Another Child	60
Volume 2
22	Aloe Wood Incense	63
23	The Stolen Brocade	64
24	Sesame Seeds	65
25	Fire and Water	66
26	Winks	68
27	A Whip Wound	70
28	The Nose	71
29	The Rough-Hair Robe	72
30	The Shepherd	74
31	The Potter and the Brahman	76
32	Theft of Gold	78
33	A Fine Fruit Tree	81
34	Spring Water	82
35	The Mirror in a Treasure Chest	84
36	The Sorcerer's Eye	86
37	A Man Who Killed His Herd of Cows	89
38	The Wooden Conduit	90
39	Rice-Straw Plaster	92
40	Cure for Baldness	94
41	Flesh-Eating Demons	96
Volume 3
42	The Peddler and the Camel Skin	100
43	Polishing a Rock	102
44	Half a Rice Cracker	104
45	The Servant Who Kept the Gate	106
46	The Stolen Buffalo	108
47	The Duck Call	110
48	The Fox and the Falling Branch	112
49	A Handful of Hair	113
50	The Doctor and the Hunchback	114
51	Sharing the Maidservant	115
52	The Entertainer	116
53	The Teacher's Bad Legs	117
54	Head and Tail	118
55	The King's Beard	120
56	Asking for Nothing	122
57	The Rich Man's Spittle	124
58	Dividing Equally	126
59	The Potter's Shop	128
60	The Golden Reflection	130
61	The Mahabrahman's Disciple	132
62	A Sick Man	134
63	The Demon's Costume	136
64	A Demon in the House	138
65	Five Hundred Sweet Cakes	141
Volume 4
66	The Voyage	148
67	The Rice Cakes	150
68	A Man with a Grudge	153
69	A Fast Eater	154
70	The Rich Man's Mangoes	156
71	The Bigamist	158
72	A Mouthful of Rice	160
73	The Cowardly Solider	162
74	The Deceitful Brahman	165
75	The Camel and the Jar	166
76	The Princess and the Country Fool	168
77	Ass's Milk	170
78	A Child Who Traveled Alone	171
79	The King's Armrest	172
80	Enema Water	173
81	The Bear and the Child	174
82	Sowing in the Field	176
83	The Monkey and the Mean Man	178
84	Lunar Eclipse	179
85	A Woman's Eyes	180
86	The Gold Earrings	181
87	The Bland Cloth	182
88	Monkey Beans	183
89	A Golden Skunk	185
90	Counting Coins	186
91	Little Property	187
92	The Greedy Child	188
93	The Woman and the Bear	189
94	The Jewel and the Water Conduit	190
95	A Pair of Doves	192
96	The Man Who Plucked Out His Eyes	194
97	The Hidden Coin	195
98	The Tortoise	197
	Monk Sanghasena's Flower Garland of the Fools	199
	Table of Similar Tales	200