Zen Stories to Tell Your Neighbors 1

This Zen story about egos is part of an eBook series 51 Short Motivational Stories from Zen, Buddha and Ancient Tales.

The Ego is a Dead Mouse

A bird was once carrying a dead mouse and flying back to its nest.

To his shock he saw many birds flying behind him. He was scared, “What have I done. I’m just carrying a dead mouse to serve as my meal for the day.”

The birds came and banged into his wings. Fearing that he’d be hurt, he dropped the bird. The moment he did so, they left him.

Flying to the safety of a nearby tree, he rested for some time thinking why the birds were after him.

He realized that they were not after him to harm him, but were rather after the dead mouse. Just as he was behind the dead mouse.

Notes: So if some people are trying to hurt your reputation or you, drop you dead mouse (the ego) and sit back and watch. They will all forget you in a moment and go away. By letting go of the ego, you can resolve many problems of having to keep up your reputation, image and name intact. There really exists none, and