I will make your wish come true

Legend has it that a long time ago, a cat who practiced Buddhism asked Buddha if he could have great magical powers and immortality. Buddha said: "If you want to have it, you must develop your bodhicitta (kindness), follow the teachings, practice hard, be compassionate, benefit others, and continue to accumulate merits until you have the ninth tail. Every one hundred years, you can grow one tail, and when you have the eighth tail, you must help your destined person fulfill his one wish. When his wish becomes fulfilled, you will grow the ninth new tail, but the former tail will drop. So you will only have eight tails."

A new tail grows, and an old tail falls off? It's impossible to cultivate to get the ninth tail. What can this cat do to achieve his wish? The cat was not discouraged. He followed Buddha's teachings, and practiced hard. After thousands of years passed by, the cat helped thousands of people fulfill their wishes, but he still had only eight tails. He prayed to Buddha to teach him the way to achieve his goal. Because the timing wasn't right, Buddha smiled and said nothing. The eight-tailed cat had to practice by himself and self-reflect. He continued to search for his destined person in all ways.

One day, during a storm, he went to seek shelter in a village. There, he met a young man surrounded by wolves. He instinctively and single-handedly drove away the wolves and saved the teenager. The teenager heard the story of the eight-tailed cat, but when this cat appeared in front of him, he was stunned! The eight-tailed cat looked like a lion cub, snow-white, with eyes like black agate, and the tails were scattered behind him, which caught the teenager's eye. The cat knew that the juvenile is another destined person, and that he must help him fulfill his wish. He grew a new tail and lost another old tail. This endless cycle continued, and he still looked for the next destiny!

The teenager knew that the eight-tailed cat was waiting for him to make a wish, but he couldn't think of a wish for a while, so he asked the eight-tailed cat to stay beside him. Day after day, the teenager looked at the cat, and suddenly felt he was sad. The teenager also wanted to do something for him. So he asked the cat : "Can you make all wishes come true?"

The cat said nothing and just watched him. Then the boy said: "Then, I want your wish to come true. I hope you have nine tails.” The cat was stunned and was truly grateful; he finally understood what Buddha's deep meaning was. To benefit people is to fulfill yourself. Only if you meet a person who can abandon himself can you gain your wish.

Translation from H.H.Dorje Chang Buddha III(义云高大师) disciple's blog

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