TZU CHI USA JOURNAL

Decades ago in Japan, in a small village near the sea, a Buddhist ceremony was held in a temple at the foot of a mountain. All the villagers participated, except an elderly man and his grandson, who lived atop the mountain. They could not travel that far, so they stayed home.

That evening, the man went for a walk. There was a breeze, but his body still felt sticky. This was quite unusual. All of a sudden, he felt an earthquake. Though it was not strong, something was peculiar about this earthquake. It started out gradually and swayed slowly. He had never encountered such a strange earthquake before.

The man remembered what he had heard from his grandpa when he was little: If a large earthquake occurred far away, they would still feel it in the village, and it could be a warning sign of a tidal wave. Then he looked at the sea and thought, “Why is the sea turning black? And the waves look different. Usually, the waves come from far to near, rolling forward and then receding again. Now, they’re moving like a solid wall that is coming closer and closer!”

He realized this must be what his grandpa had spoken of, “a tsunami caused by a big earthquake.”

Quickly, the man had his grandson bring a torch, and without hesitation, he set fire to his stock of newly harvested rice and piles of hay. The fire instantly spread throughout his warehouse.

The villagers, meanwhile, were gathered at the seashore, unsuspectingly watching the sea change color. But at the sight of the fire, they all ran up the mountain to put it out. The old man wouldn’t let them put it out, however, until all the villagers had arrived. The villagers then asked what caused the fire and why he had delayed putting it out. The grandson told them, wide-eyed, “Grandpa has gone out of his mind! He started the fire!”

But the man pointed at the sea and said, “Look!” Everyone turned to look and could hardly believe their eyes…

Seawater was rushing ashore with a mighty force. All the houses at the foot of the mountain floated like matchboxes in the water. Only after a while did the water slowly retreat into the sea, along with all the houses.

The villagers then realized that the man had burned all his rice and his warehouse in order to save them from the tsunami.