The Vegetarian Tiger
Once a tigress attacked a herd of sheep. She was pregnant and very weak. As she sprang on her prey, she gave birth to a baby tiger and died within a couple of hours. The baby tiger grew up in the company of the lambs. The lambs ate grass, so the baby tiger followed their example. When they made sounds, the baby tiger also made sounds like a sheep.
Gradually it grew to be a big tiger. One day another tiger attacked the same herd of sheep. The tiger was surprised to see a grasseating tiger in the herd. Running after it, the wild tiger at last grabbed the cub, and the grass-eating cub began to make sounds like a sheep. The wild tiger dragged it to the water and said: “Look at your face in the water. It is just like mine. Here is a little meat. Eat it.” Saying this, the wild tiger put some meat into the vegetarian tiger’s mouth. But the vegetarian tiger would not take it and began to make the sound of a sheep again.
Gradually, however, it got the taste for blood and began to like the meat. Then the wild tiger said: “Now you see, there is no difference between you and me. Come along and follow me into the forest. ” We have been thinking that we are this body which is limited in time and space. We are not this body. We are the all-powerful Spirit in the body.