Date: 11/08/2025 11/09/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
The Fat Yet Lean Sheep
Once, a minister committed an offense, and the king sternly said to him:“If you can bring me a fat sheep with no fat, I will pardon your crime. But if you fail, you shall be punished.”
The clever minister found a large sheep and began feeding it daily with fine grass and grain, taking great care of it. At the same time, he brought three wolves each day to frighten the sheep, causing it to live in constant fear and trembling.
Thus, while the sheep ate plenty of food and grew stronger each day, it was also perpetually tense and alert, terrified of being attacked by the wolves. It dared not relax for a single moment. Though well-fed with the best grass and grain, it lived as if standing on the edge of a cliff, always cautious and wary.
As a result, the sheep became large and muscular—full in form but without a trace of fat.
When the minister presented this “fat yet lean” sheep to the king, the king was astonished. “How could such a strong and heavy sheep have no fat at all?” he asked.
The minister truthfully explained how he had raised the animal with care and trained it through constant fear and vigilance. The king greatly admired the minister’s intelligence and insight—and forgave him for his earlier wrongdoing.
