Story From The Sutras
When An Axe Becomes A Jewel

Once there was an old man who had no children. Life was hard for him. His sole possession was an axe, which he had bought after selling his meager assets. He used the axe to chop down trees, from which he would make walking sticks. He sold the sticks for a living. Within a few years, the axe had become badly worn from constant use.
One day, the old man went to the market to sell his walking sticks. A foreign merchant named Sabo passed by. When he saw the axe that the old man casually laid down, his eyes gleamed. “Will you sell me your axe?” the trader asked.
The old man thought to himself, “So there’s demand even for my battered old axe. But if I sold it, how would I make my living?” So he told the merchant: “No.”
As it happened, Sabo had a good eye for valuable things. A single glance told him the axe was a rare treasure. Determined to buy it, he told the old man: “I will give you a hundred pieces of silk. Will you sell me your axe?”
The old man thought he was joking. How could this worn axe be worth so much? So he ignored the merchant. Observing his lack of response, Sabo pushed on: “Why don’t you answer me? Was my price not good enough? What if I give you 200 pieces of silk for it?”
The old man was bewildered. Seeing that he was perplexed, the trader quickly said: “Why are you unhappy? I’ll give you 500 pieces.”
The old man broke into tears when he heard Sabo’s latest offer. “It’s not that I’m unhappy with the price,” he said. “I just hate my own stupidity. This axe was originally in fine shape. Yet I used it to chop trees and make walking sticks, battering it. So a foot-and-a-half-long axe, worn down to five inches, is still worth 500 pieces of silk. I will never get over my regret!”
“Don’t be like that,” said the merchant. “I’ll give you a thousand pieces for it!”
Sabo bought the axe. After some polishing, it again shone like a priceless treasure.
A gatha says: “Ordinary people have little knowledge; they possess a treasure and know it not. They encounter the Buddha Dharma, but let it slip away with their eyes open.”
The world does not lack for treasure, only the ability to appreciate it. It is like putting the priceless Dharma in front of us, yet we simply pass it by.