What Burns Within: A Parable About Transforming Your Nature

A Buddhist parable called "The Dragon and the Fire" teaches us how to transform our innate qualities from destructive forces into tools for healing and renewal. The story illustrates how redirecting our natural tendencies with wisdom and compassion can lead to personal fulfillment and positive impact on others.

• A mighty dragon with tremendous strength and fiery temperament feels unfulfilled despite his power
• When trying to fight a village fire with his own flames, he only makes the situation worse
• A mountain sage teaches him that fire can both destroy and renew—it's how you use it that matters
• The dragon learns to use his fire as a tool for warmth, light, and helping rebuild the village
• By transforming how he uses his inherent nature, the dragon finds the satisfaction he had long sought

Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and remember to live in the moment.

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Chapters

• 0:46 Introduction to Buddhist Parable
• 1:05 The Dragon's Inner Struggle
• 1:38 Meeting with the Mountain Sage
• 2:20 Transformation and New Purpose
• 4:34 Closing Thoughts and Sign-off

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:23

Hey there, every now and then, I come across a parable or a teaching in a story form, and I found one that I'd like to share with you this week. It's a Buddhist parable called the Dragon and the Fire, and it's a true story of transformation. In a faraway kingdom, amidst high mountains and deep forests, lived a mighty dragon. This dragon was known for its overwhelming strength and fiery temperament. However, despite his strength and powerful breath, the dragon had an unfulfilled heart. The dragon had an unfulfilled heart. He felt a deep dissatisfaction, a pain that only fueled his fire. One day, the dragon flew over the kingdom and saw below him a small village devastated by a terrible fire. The dragon, seeing the fire as part of his own nature, flew down and tried to confront the flames with his own fire. The dragon, seeing the fire as part of his own nature, flew down and tried to confront the flames with his own fire, but instead of extinguishing the fire, his flame only made it stronger. Desperate and full of regret, the dragon flew away, his heart even heavier than it was before.

Speaker 1: 1:47

In desperation, the dragon flew to an old sage who lived high in the mountains. The sage listened to the dragon's story and nodded in understanding. Fire, he said, can be destructive, but it can also purify and renew. It is not the fire itself that is the problem, but how you use it. The dragon was confused. How can I use my fire differently? He asked. I'm a dragon. Fire is part of who I am Exactly the sage, and that is exactly why you must learn to see it not as a weapon but as a tool. Fire can give warmth. It can bring light into darkness. It can burn away the old to make room for the new. You must learn to use your fire with wisdom and compassion.

Speaker 1: 2:56

With these words in mind, the dragon returned to the kingdom. He saw the village still burning and, instead of using his own fire, he flew to a nearby lake, filled his mighty maw with water and put out the fire, and then he used his flame to give the villagers warmth and light in the cool of the night. He helped them rebuild their homes by using his fire to shape the wood and make it harder. From that day on, the dragon was no longer known only as a destructive force, but also as a being of warmth and light. He had learned to use his fire not as a weapon but as a tool, and in doing so, he found the satisfaction he had sought for so long. His heart was no longer heavy, but filled with the warmth of his own flame, which could now not only destroy, but also heal and renew, but also heal and renew. I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks so much for listening. Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and remember to live in the moment.