The Spiral Shells Who Mend The Ship
Hang Zhou is a scenic place in China. During Qing Dynasty (the lastdynasty of
China, 1644-1911) there was a kind-hearted person named Run Qepang. Ever since
Run Qepang was young he was very kind and he treasured little animals immensely.
He also had an ambition of setting captured animals free. Regularly, he did
the hard work of going to the banks of the streams or deep in the mountains
to release captured animals. The animals he set free were mostly spiral shells
and little fishes. He always advised people to set these two types of animals
free. Once there was a little kid who asked him,
"Uncle Ru n, why do you advise people to set free spiral shells and fishes
free?" He replied with a smile,
"Oh! It is because spiral shells and fishes are cheap to buy, but when
you set them free you will have saved countlesslives."
Therefore as long as Run Qepang saw people selling spiral shells and little
fishes in the market, he always bought them and set them free. Not only did
he continue his blessed actions, but also he urged people tofollow him.
In the year of Kong Xi (name of first of emperor of Qing Dynasty) Geng Sheng
(the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Braches, a way of calculating years in old China,
ed.), because Run Qepang was out on business, he was on board a ship by passing
Fu Chun. Unfortunately the bottom of the ship wass truck by a submerged rock.
The ship was in the middle of the river and the water was rising through the
hole struck by the rocks. Soon the ship would be sink. Run Qepang was panicked
and, he thought, "Alas! This time perhaps I will die."
At the critical moment, suddenly there was a disturbance from the bottom of
the ship. Carefully they looked at it, the water had stopped pouring in. Run
Qepang felt that it was unusual. When the ship was onshore, only then did they
find out that there were countless spiral shells, layer upon layer, they had
used their bodies to fill out the hole. In addition, there were thousands of
little fishes helping the shells by the sides of the ship. This extraordinary
situation made all eyewitnesses admit that it was the first time in their lives
that they had ever seen such a marvellous spectacle.
Extract of The Buddhist Children's Stories, page 35-36, published by TheWhite
Cloud Cultural Centre, Taipei Taiwan