One day, the Buddha met a man who was crying. The man asked him, “How many times must I be reborn to be liberated?” The Buddha pointed to a mango tree and said, “As many times as the mangoes on the tree.” There were dozens of mangoes, and the man cried, “Why should I suffer so much?” The Buddha walked on and met a man near a field. He too asked, “How many times must I be reborn?” The Buddha pointed to the field and said, “As many times as the flowers in the field.” The second man too was disappointed. The Buddha then met a man near a tamarind tree. He asked the same question. Buddha said, “As many as the leaves of the tamarind tree.” The man’s eyes were filled with joy and gratitude. “How merciful!” he said, realising that it could have been much worse.
Moral: We should learn to be thankful.
