Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind: In a quiet village, there lived two friends with very fitting names. Dharmabuddhi was known as “Right-Mind” because of his honesty and virtue. Papabuddhi was known as “Wrong-Mind” due to his wicked and deceitful nature.
Right-Mind and Wrong-Mind
Wrong-Mind was poor and lacked the skills to make an honest living. Watching his clever friend succeed, a dark thought crossed his mind. “If I can convince Right-Mind to travel to another kingdom with me, I can use his skills. I can make a fortune. Then, I’ll just steal all the earnings for myself and live like a king!”
Putting on his best friendly face, Wrong-Mind approached his friend. “My dear Right-Mind, we aren’t getting any younger,” he said. “We need to build a nest egg for our future. Why don’t we travel to a distant kingdom to earn our fortune? Plus, if we don’t travel now, what grand stories will we have to tell our grandchildren?”
Right-Mind, being an agreeable and trusting soul, thought this was a brilliant idea. He sought the blessings of his parents and teachers, and soon the two friends set off on their grand journey.
Thanks entirely to Right-Mind’s skills, knowledge, and hard work, the pair made an absolute fortune. Satisfied with their massive earnings, they packed up and began the long journey home.
As they approached the outskirts of their village, Wrong-Mind put his sinister plan into motion. “Friend,” he cautioned, “it would be foolish to carry all this gold into the village. Our relatives and friends will immediately start begging us for loans, and we’ll be prime targets for thieves.”
“What do you suggest?” Right-Mind asked.
“Let’s just take a small handful of coins for our immediate needs,” Wrong-Mind replied. “We can bury the rest of the treasure deep in the jungle, beneath a large tree. Whenever we need more, we can come back together and dig it up.”
Without a single doubt in his heart, Right-Mind agreed. They buried their heavy sacks of gold beneath a massive tree. Then, they returned to the village with only a few coins in their pockets.
A few nights later, under the cover of darkness, the wicked Wrong-Mind sneaked back into the jungle. He dug up the treasure, stole every last coin, and carefully covered the pit so it looked completely undisturbed. He then dragged the money home and hid it.
A few weeks passed before Wrong-Mind went to his friend, pretending to be broke. “Right-Mind, my family is large and my funds have run dry. Let’s go to the jungle and dig up some more of our money.”
Together, they went to the massive tree and dug into the earth. Of course, the pit was completely empty.
Instantly, Wrong-Mind began beating his chest and screaming in fake outrage. “It was you!” he yelled at Right-Mind. “No one else knew about this spot! You sneaked out here and stole my half of the fortune! If you don’t give it back right now, I am taking you to the village elders for justice!”
Shocked and heartbroken, Right-Mind defended himself. “I am a virtuous man! I would never steal from my own friend. Do not put this wicked blame on me.”
The argument escalated until they found themselves standing before the village elders. Unsure of who to believe, the judges suggested they both take a pledge before the Fire-God to prove their innocence.
“Wait,” Wrong-Mind interrupted. “Before we go to the Fire-God, why don’t we ask the spirit of the tree? We buried the money right at its roots. The tree spirit witnessed everything and can tell us who the real thief is.”
The elders agreed this was a fair plan. “We shall go to the jungle tomorrow morning,” the chief elder declared. “If the tree spirit cannot reveal the truth, then you shall face the Fire-God.”
Knowing he had to rig the trial, Wrong-Mind rushed home to his father. “Father, I stole a massive fortune from Right-Mind, and the elders are investigating,” he confessed. “If you don’t help me frame him, I won’t just lose the gold—I could be hanged for theft!”
“What do you need me to do, my son?” his father asked.
“There is a huge hollow inside the trunk of that tree,” Wrong-Mind explained. “Tonight, you must climb inside and hide. Tomorrow morning, I will ask the spirit of the tree who the thief is. You just need to shout that it was Right-Mind. I will handle the rest.”
His father agreed and sneaked into the dark hollow of the tree before sunrise.
Later that morning, Wrong-Mind, Right-Mind, and the village elders gathered around the roots of the massive tree. Putting on a dramatic performance, Wrong-Mind looked up at the branches and shouted, “O mighty spirit of the tree! Please tell us the truth! Who stole our gold?”
From deep inside the hollow trunk, a booming, echoing voice replied, “Listen to the truth! Right-Mind is the thief! He stole the gold!”
The village elders gasped in shock. The tree had spoken! They immediately began muttering amongst themselves, discussing how severely they should punish Right-Mind for betraying his friend.
But Right-Mind wasn’t fooled. He knew he was innocent, which meant the “spirit” inside the tree was lying. And tree spirits do not lie. Realizing it was a trick, Right-Mind quietly gathered a large pile of dry leaves, dead branches, and dry grass. He piled the kindling right in front of the tree’s hollow and set it on fire.
Thick, choking smoke quickly filled the inside of the tree. As the flames grew hotter and hotter, a frantic coughing started echoing from within. Suddenly, Wrong-Mind’s father burst out of the hollow, his clothes singed and his face covered in soot, screaming for mercy.
The elders jumped back in shock. “What were you doing in there?!” the chief demanded.
Coughing and terrified, the father confessed the entire plot. He explained how his wicked son had stolen the money. His son forced him to lie to the court.
The village elders were furious at being played for fools. They immediately ordered Wrong-Mind to be arrested. He was to be punished for his deceit and theft. They returned the gold to Right-Mind and heavily praised him for his sharp wit and unwavering honesty.
The Moral: Avoid the company of wicked people, or you will eventually pay a heavy price. However, even when faced with deceit, a clear conscience and a clever mind will always bring the truth to light.
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