There was once a stonecutter who went up a mountain every day to cut stones. Though poor, he was content with his life and work. One day, he was called to cut some stones in the mansion of a nobleman. On seeing the magnificent mansion and all that was inside, the stonecutter had a sudden and strong desire. “If only I were rich like this nobleman!” he thought. He was then astonished to hear a voice say, “Your wish has been granted. Henceforth, anything you desire will be given to you.”
When he got back home, he found that his hut had become a mansion and that he was now a rich man. He gave up cutting stones and began enjoying a life of plenty. One day, however, he looked out of his window and saw the King go by seated in a golden carriage with a retinue of servants. “I wish I were a King!” he thought.
Sure enough he became a King and began to enjoy the power and privileges of one. Things went well until one day, when the sun was so hot that he was uncomfortable even in the royal carriage. “The powerful sun can penetrate even this royal carriage. I wish I were the sun,” he said to himself.
Instantly he became the sun and began sending out heat and light into the universe. But then came a monsoon day with dark clouds and he could not penetrate them. “Are the clouds more powerful than the sun? Then I would rather be a cloud,” he thought.
So he turned into a cloud and was able to keep the sun at bay. Soon, however, he turned into rain that fell on earth. As he was flowing as water, however, a mighty rock blocked his path and he was forced to go around it. “If this rock can stop me, I should become a rock,” he told himself.
Immediately, he became a huge rock. He was happy for a while, but he heard some cutting noise and felt pain in his feet. Looking down, he saw a small man chipping away at the rock. “How can a human being be more powerful than a rock? I should perhaps become a man,” he thought.
Thus he became a stone cutter again, going up the mountain every day to cut stones. He was also poor again, but had a song in his heart because he was content with what he had and how he lived.
Background: I found a version of this tale in a book of Zen stories. I could not locate the original author of the story.
There is an Indian version as well. The Transformed Mouse Seeks a Bridegroom
India (The Panchatantra). Many countries have their own versions of this folk tale. Desire is good so long as it goes with passion and its attended work. But anything sought or obtained freely has neither the energy nor will it bring a sustained liking for it. Desires have their own alleys and they leave you at destinations that you don’t want to be at.