The Reward of Honesty

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The spirit dwelling in a holy castor tree once was actually the Bodhisattva. One day a poor man came to pray to the tree. Since he was poor, he had nothing to give the tree as an offering, except a piece of bread. So, when he saw others offering many expensive gifts to the tree, he thought that the tree would not receive a humble gift like his. He was about to go back when suddenly the Bodhisattva appeared before him and said, “My friend, I am hungry. Won’t you give me the bread to eat?” The man was too astonished to speak and gave the bread to him. After eating it, the Bodhisattva said, “Dig the ground near the tree and you will find a pitcher of gold coins.” But the man did not take the money and instead informed the king about it. The king was pleased with the poor man’s honesty and made him the royal treasurer.!