Myth of origins
A long time ago, Chenrezig, the Bouddha of Compassion, came to Tibet, which was then empty. He decided to populate it with creatures. He took the shape of an ape, and married an ogress of the mountains. From their union were born many ape-children. Generation after generation, the apes kept changing until they became human beings.
For a long time, humans lived happily. They had no need for work: all they needed they just collected it from their natural surroundings and shared it among all. They had an extraordinary knowledge of the world they lived in, and if a calamity striked them, the gods immediately put an end to it.
But one day, some men wanted to have more. They took great quantities of food for themselves and stored it, refusing to share it. They started to rear animals and to grow vegetables and crops for their own use.
Seeing this, the gods said : "well, these men think they are so clever, let’s let them go on, we shall see what happens to them…"
So men started to live on agriculture and animal rearing. For the first time they had to work for their living.
Since then, because of their greed, men have become their own slaves, working more and more and facing problems more and more complicated…
Told by Sherap Dorjee, who heard it from a nun...
Next : Society