A saint was taking a bath in a river. His disciple was
sitting on the bank of the river watching the saint and taking care of his belongings.
The saint’s belongings were a mala (prayer beads) and a bowl for drinking water
and begging.
A scorpion came floating by, struggling for survival. The
saint put his hand under it so that it could sit and be safe. He started moving
toward the riverbank to release it.
After a minute the scorpion had dried up a little from the
warmth of the hand and it felt alive again.
It lifted its tail and stung the hand of the saint. Although
it was painful, the saint did not throw the animal off. He kept it in his hand
and continued walking.
Even when the scorpion stung again the saint did not throw
it off. He waited until he reached the riverbank and put the scorpion safely on
the ground.
His disciple asked, “Why did you let the scorpion sting you
twice?”
The saint said, “It is his dharma to sting and it is my
dharma to save life.
When the scorpion does not leave his dharma of stinging how
can I leave my dharma of saving him?