Buddhist Story - The Spiral Shells Who Mend The Ship

Long long time ago, there was a kind-hearted person named Liu living in a village by the river. Ever since Liu was young he was very kind and he treasured little animals immensely. He also had an ambition of setting captured animals free.

Regularly, he did the hard work of going to the banks of the streams or deep in the mountains to release captured animals. The animals he set free were mostly spiral shells and little fishes. He always advised people to set these two types of animals free.

Once there was a little kid who asked him,
"Uncle Liu, why do you advise people to set free spiral shells and fishes free?" He replied with a smile,

"Oh! It is because spiral shells and fishes are cheap to buy, but when you set them free you will have saved countless lives."

Therefore as long as Liu saw people selling spiral shells and little fishes in the market, he always bought them and set them free. Not only did he continue his blessed actions, but also he urged people tofollow him.

One day Liu was out on business, he was on board a ship. Unfortunately the bottom of the ship was struck by a submerged rock. The ship was in the middle of the river and the water was rising through the hole struck by the rocks. Soon the ship would be sink. Liu was panicked and, he thought, "Alas! This time perhaps I will die."

At the critical moment, suddenly there was a disturbance from the bottom of the ship. Carefully they looked at it, the water had stopped pouring in. Liu felt that it was unusual.

When the ship was onshore, only then did they find out that there were countless spiral shells, layer upon layer, they had used their bodies to fill out the hole. In addition, there were thousands of little fishes helping the shells by the sides of the ship. This extraordinary situation made all eyewitnesses admit that it was the first time in their lives that they had ever seen such a marvellous spectacle.