The Single Lantern - Part Two

With the money, the woman bought a tiny lantern and placed it in the temple.

Her lantern seemed tiny compared to the light from the other larger lanterns in the temple.

But the woman was happy. She had done what she could and she had lit a lantern in the temple with her own money.

That night there was a function in the temple and all the lights in the temple were lit. 

The people who had come to the temple all appreciated the big lanterns and felt that the rich man who had gifted the lantern was generous and that was the reason that the temple looked so beautiful under the lights.

Even as the people looked around the temple, a strong wind picked up in the place. Suddenly a gust of wind burst through the place and all the lanterns of the temple including the lanterns of the rich man blew out.

The entire place was plunged in darkness.

But something strange happened.

In the darkness, there was a tiny light which glowed brightly through the entire temple.

It was the poor woman’s lantern which had not gone out despite the gust of wind blowing through it.

The priest of the temple smiled as he looked at the glowing lantern. “The poor gift from a good heart is more precious than the gifts showing the splendour of the rich.”

Adapted from Japanese folktales