Long ago, the Bodhisattva was born a quail and lived in the forest as the leader of thousands of quail. In that forest lived a man, a fowler, who made a living by capturing quail to sell at the market for food.

The fowler would imitate the leader’s call to draw the quail together. When many quail responded, the fowler would fling his net over them all, and gather them up to sell at the market.

The Bodhisattva was determined to help the quail avoid this terrible fate. He called them together to hear his plan: “When you hear a quail’s call, be alert. It might well be the deceptive call of the fowler. If we keep our wits about us and work together, we can escape the fowler’s net.

“Here’s what to do: The very moment he throws his net over you, let each one put their head through an opening in the mesh. Then, all together, you must flap your wings. Fly with the net until you can let it down on a thorn bush. The net will catch on the thorns, and you all can escape from underneath.” All the quail nodded in agreement: They would work together.

The next day, the fowler came and called the quail together, then threw the net over them. But this time, the quail lifted the net and flew to the nearest thorn bush, where they left it. The fowler was still untangling his net from the thorns when the sun set, and he went home empty-handed.

Day after day, the quail remembered the Bodhisattva’s wisdom, and day after day, the fowler went home with an empty net.

From a Buddhist Jataka tale. “Bodhisattva” means “enlightened being;” it is also a name for the Buddha.

Additional Activities for Resilience

Download the Winter 2011 UUWorld Families Pages (pdf) for more activities.

Originally published in the “Families Weave a Tapestry of Faith” insert in The UUWorld.