Buddha knows his s*!@: A Tale about Tigers & Strawberries

A few nights ago, a yoga teacher read the following Buddhist tale at the end of a yoga class, and it really resonated with me. It went like this…

Tigers and the Strawberry

A man was walking across a field

when he saw a tiger.

He fled, but the tiger ran after him.

Coming to the edge of a cliff,

he spied the root of a wild vine.

Grabbing onto it, he swung himself

down over the edge,

out of reach of the tiger.

He was safe!

The tiger came to the edge

and sniffed him from above.

Trembling, the man looked down

and saw another ferocious tiger

prowling below.

Only the thin vine held him.

Two mice, one white and one black,

scurried out of a nearby nest on the cliff

and began gnawing at the vine.

As they chewed, the man saw

a luscious strawberry

on a nearby ledge.

Grasping the vine with one hand,

he plucked the strawberry with the other.

Ahh, how sweet it tasted!

Like any Buddhist tale, this one has an important lesson. In this story, the tigers represent death. From the time that we are born into this world, we are threatened by death. It is inevitable, at some point, we will all die. How many times have you heard “death might be right around the corner”, or “live each days like it’s your last”, or some form of that? Probably quite often. I know I have. I get it, it can be annoying when all you want to do is curl up and watch Netflix and NOT live as if it’s your last day or truly enjoy the moment that is right now. Hear me out though.

The tigers represent death, and the mice chewing on the vine represent time, which is always passing us by. Each moment in space and time is something that we will never have ever again. As the man hangs on for dear life on the vine, he is threatened by death below and above him, and time ticks on as death becomes closer and closer to him. It is inevitable, he will die at some point. Just then he sees the strawberry, reaches out and eats it. I’m sure this isn’t his first strawberry, but with death so close to him, he truly tastes the strawberry.

How many strawberries have you eaten in your life? I’m from the frozen tundras of Canada and I’ve had a lot, so I can imagine that you, reader, have also eaten quite a few. How good did the strawberries taste? Did you really enjoy them? It’s rare that I ever think twice about the food or drink that I put in my mouth and how truly amazing it is.

So, the point of the story is that we don’t live forever, and as each moment passes us it’s gone as fast as it came. It’s fleeting. Instead of dwelling in the past, or thinking of the future, is it possible to simply live in the present? Contemplate this…. You live in this moment right now, because the moments right now are all you really have. The present is life, and if you aren’t living in the present, are you really living? The next time you eat a strawberry, take a moment to close your eyes and savour the flavour, and really taste it. I know I will.