Once upon a time there was a peasant, his name was Yosaku. He did not have his own field, his own home. He went from village to village and helped peasants grow crops for a piece of bread and a meager payment. The young man patiently endured all adversity and thanked Buddha for giving him the opportunity to earn his bread.
One night, Buddha appeared to the young man in a golden glow. And the Buddha said: “You are an amazing person, Yosaku, you live in poverty and are content with little. You work hard and don’t ask for too much. Rise tomorrow with the first rays of the sun. The first thing you pick up will bring you happiness.” Having said this, the Buddha disappeared as if he had never existed.
The next morning Yosaku went to work as usual. Yosaku tripped over a rock and fell and was badly hurt. As he stood up, he noticed that he was clutching a straw stalk in his hand. “I doubt that this is the same thing that the Buddha advised me to pick up. So how will this straw stem bring me happiness?” - thought the young man.
Out of nowhere, a huge horsefly appeared. It began to buzz and circle around the young man's face. Yosaku caught the horsefly and tied it to the end of a straw stem, and the horsefly continued to buzz and spin around the stem like a wind-up toy. A boy who met on his way wanted to play with this funny toy, and Yosaku, with a light heart, gave the child a straw stem. For this toy, the boy's servant gave him three oranges. “Wonderful! Three whole oranges for a straw stalk!” - Yosaku thought and moved on.
Soon he caught up with a woman sitting on the side of the road.
“Oh, it’s so hot,” said the woman, “I’m dying of thirst....”
- If these three oranges will save you, please take them! - said the good young man. The woman ate them, and her strength returned. She thanked Yosaka for saving him and gave him a bolt of silk.
“This expensive roll of silk is definitely a gift from Buddha!” - Yosaku said to himself and continued on his way. Soon on his way he met two samurai standing over a horse, which had fallen from the heat and fatigue. “Well, what should we do with this dead meat?” - asked the samurai. Yosaku felt sorry for the horse and turned to the samurai: “Gentlemen samurai, would you exchange this unfortunate horse for an excellent bolt of silk?”
The samurai happily agreed, and took the expensive fabric and walked away.
“You had a hard time,” Yosaku said to the horse. He gave her something to drink, let her rest, and the horse was soon back on her feet.
Yosaku saddled his horse and soon reached the outskirts of the city. He found himself near a large house, the owner of which was preparing to go on a long journey. Yosaku told the owner of the house about his wonderful journey and asked if the owner would buy a horse from him for his trip.
The owner thought and said: “I would be glad to buy a horse from you, but now I don’t have money. I could give you part of the harvest upon my return, and for now you will live in my house and look after the farm...” So Yosaku got both the house and part of the harvest. The young man was happy. He finally felt like a real owner and worked tirelessly.
Yosaku grew a wonderful crop of rice. When the time came and the owner returned from his trip, he saw that his old house had been cleaned and sparkling like a new coin. The delighted owner said: “Yosaku, I see that you are a very good person. Why don’t you marry my daughter and stay in our house forever?”
Yosaku happily agreed. He married the owner's daughter and they lived happily ever after. They had many children. He continued to work hard as before and became a very rich man. Yosaku always helped the poor. Because of his kindness, everyone in the city called him “Warashibe Choya,” which means “Mr. Straw.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru