What Burns Within: A Parable About Transforming Your Nature

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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

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey there, every now and then, I come across a
parable or a teaching in a storyform, and I found one that I'd
like to share with you this week.
It's a Buddhist parable calledthe Dragon and the Fire, and
it's a true story oftransformation.
In a faraway kingdom, amidsthigh mountains and deep forests,

(00:27):
lived a mighty dragon.
This dragon was known for itsoverwhelming strength and fiery
temperament.
However, despite his strengthand powerful breath, the dragon
had an unfulfilled heart.
The dragon had an unfulfilledheart.

(00:51):
He felt a deep dissatisfaction,a pain that only fueled his
fire.
One day, the dragon flew overthe kingdom and saw below him a
small village devastated by aterrible fire.
The dragon, seeing the fire aspart of his own nature, flew
down and tried to confront theflames with his own fire.
The dragon, seeing the fire aspart of his own nature, flew
down and tried to confront theflames with his own fire, but

(01:12):
instead of extinguishing thefire, his flame only made it
stronger.
Desperate and full of regret,the dragon flew away, his heart
even heavier than it was before.
In desperation, the dragon flewto an old sage who lived high in
the mountains.
The sage listened to thedragon's story and nodded in

(01:34):
understanding.
Fire, he said, can bedestructive, but it can also
purify and renew.
It is not the fire itself thatis the problem, but how you use
it.
The dragon was confused.
How can I use my firedifferently?

(01:57):
He asked.
I'm a dragon.
Fire is part of who I amExactly the sage, and that is
exactly why you must learn tosee it not as a weapon but as a
tool.
Fire can give warmth.
It can bring light intodarkness.

(02:20):
It can burn away the old tomake room for the new.
You must learn to use your firewith wisdom and compassion.
With these words in mind, thedragon returned to the kingdom.
He saw the village stillburning and, instead of using

(02:42):
his own fire, he flew to anearby lake, filled his mighty
maw with water and put out thefire, and then he used his flame
to give the villagers warmthand light in the cool of the
night.
He helped them rebuild theirhomes by using his fire to shape

(03:03):
the wood and make it harder.
From that day on, the dragonwas no longer known only as a
destructive force, but also as abeing of warmth and light.
He had learned to use his firenot as a weapon but as a tool,

(03:23):
and in doing so, he found thesatisfaction he had sought for
so long.
His heart was no longer heavy,but filled with the warmth of
his own flame, which could nownot only destroy, but also heal
and renew, but also heal andrenew.

(03:48):
I'm Lisa Hopkins.
Thanks so much for listening.
Stay safe and healthy, everyone, and remember to live in the
moment.