Parable: Two Young Boys' Argument over Feathers
Hundred Parables Sutra
Parable: Two Young Boys' Argument over Feathers
Once two boys were diving in a river and found a bunch of feathers at the bottom of the river. One boy said it was the beard of an immortal, while the other insisted that it was bear’s fur. An immortal happened to be by the river’s shores, and so the two boys went to him asking for a settlement of their debate. The immortal took some rice and sesame seeds into his mouth and chewed them for a while, then he spat them into his hand and told the boys, “What I have here seems to be peacock droppings.”
It is clear from his reply that the immortal did not answer the question that was put to him. Ignorant people of the world are like this, too. When discussing Dharma, they bring up idle theories and do not answer questions with proper principles. They are like the immortal whose answer made him the laughing stock of all people. The same idea applies to those who engage in empty, frivolous discussions.
