There is a huge Buddhist temple on Mount Baekjoksan. As soon as it was built, truly strange things began to happen there. Every year the monk disappears, and no one knows where he goes. Particularly zealous admirers of the holy teaching said that it was Buddha who called to himself the best and most zealous. But the careless ones also disappeared.
Things eventually came to the point that there was only one monk left in the temple. And although he was firm in his faith, he was overcome with anxiety.
He went to his old friend, to a village nearby, right at the foot of the mountain, he wanted to say goodbye before he parted with his mortal life on this sinful earth.
The friend was delighted and said:
- Come in, brother, we haven’t seen each other for a long time.
The monk answers him:
“You probably know that now it’s my turn to go to Buddha.”
So I decided to say goodbye to you.
The friend actually knew about what was going on in the temple; rumors about it spread throughout all the surrounding villages. There was nothing to console the monk, and the friend, after a pause, said:
- Leave the temple and you will be saved. There is no other way out!
- How can you say that?! - said the monk reproachfully. - Yes, and where should I go?
“You must leave the temple,” Friend insisted.
- Buddha calls me, and you advise me to run away! - the monk got angry.
“Don’t be angry,” said the friend, “but there is some kind of secret in this story, I’m sure someone is ruining people.”
- How dare you? - the monk lost his temper.
“So you won’t leave the temple and will await your fate?”
“That’s what I decided,” the monk answered firmly.
Then my friend realized that persuasion was useless, and said:
“Have it your way, brother, I won’t object to you anymore, just
fulfill one of my requests.
“Tell me what kind of request,” the monk became wary.
“I know we will never meet again, and I want to give you my robe for the last time.” Don't take it off day or night. Agree?
“I agree,” answered the monk.
The friend smeared the robe with some kind of ointment, gave it to the monk and said:
“This robe is my last gift to you.” Remember my request and never take it off!
“Thank you for the gift, and I will not forget your request,” the monk promised.
They said goodbye, and the monk returned to his place.
A few years later, a friend came to the temple to visit the monk. But there was no trace of him. In vain the friend searched all the corners. He was about to go down the mountain when he suddenly saw a huge stone not far from the temple, and on the stone - a huge dead millipede. He came closer and saw that in her mouth there was a piece of clothing sticking out, which he had given to the monk at one time. A friend realized that the monk had been devoured by a millipede. And she herself died from the poisonous ointment, which a friend smeared on the clothes donated to the monk. So the monks did not end up with Buddha, but straight into the mouth of a voracious creature that settled under a large stone almost right next to the temple.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru