How Foolish Can We Get (Part 3) - The Wedding

How Foolish Can We Get (Part 3) - The Wedding


Once upon a time, there lived a very rich family in the city.

The rich family got to know a good and honest girl from a nearby village and arranged for their son to marry her.

As the girl was both beautiful and virtuous, the wealthy family was sure they could not find a better wife for their son.

They picked a date for the wedding and the bride's family agreed to meet them in the village on that day.


Now, this rich family had a fortune-telling master whom they always consult.

So, when the fortune-telling master found out that they had selected the wedding day without consulting him, he became angry.

When the wedding day arrived, the master, dressed in his finest clothes, visited the family.

After congratulating them with fake sincerity, he took out his star charts and examined closely, calculating seriously, with his brows furrowed.

Shaking his head, and looking very grim and concern, he told the family that by not consulting him, they had chosen the worst possible day of the year for a wedding, and that it would lead to a terrible and disastrous marriage.

Frightened by what the master said, the rich family quickly sought his advise and guidance.

He told them that they should not hold the wedding without his approval, and because they had not sought his advice earlier, they had offended the gods. As such, they had to pay heavily.

He told them that he needed to perform several ceremonies to appease the gods they had offended.

He also forbade them from going to the village to inform the bride's family.

Overwhelmed with fear, the rich family believed the master completely and did as they were told.

They dutifully remained at home and forgot all about the wonderful qualities of the intended bride.

In the meantime, the bride's family had prepared everything for the wedding ceremony in the village.

When the agreed upon hour arrived, there's still no sign of the groom or his family.

The bride's family waited and waited until their patience run dry.

It finally struck them that the groom and his family were not coming after all.

The bride's family was furious and felt humiliated.

"This is so insulting! These city people picked the date and time and never show up. Why should we wait for them? We'll marry our daughter to an honourable and hardworking man in the village."

They quickly arranged for a new marriage and celebrated the wedding.

Meanwhile, after a whole week of lavish and extravagant ceremonies and much feasting, the fortune-telling master, happy and satisfied that the rich family had obeyed him, and also with the amount of money and expensive gifts he had received, he told the family that now they can hold the wedding.

The rich family immediately went to the village and asked for the wedding to take place.
However, the villagers refused.

"You picked the date and time. Then you disgraced us by not showing up!" argued the villagers.

"But our family priest told us that last week was an unlucky day for a wedding. For the whole of last week, we had spent a lot of money to appease the gods. So now he assured us that today is the luckiest day for a wedding. Please, can we have the bride." implored the rich family.

"You have no honour. Why should we trust you? Anyway, it's too late now cos' our daughter has married another." The villagers replied.

The 2 families began to argue.

At that moment, the king's advisor happened to pass by.

Seeing him, the 2 families asked him to help settle their dispute.

After listening to the accounts from both sides, the wise advisor said,

"The good fortune is in the bride, not the stars, or the gods, or the tree, or the fortune-teller. You fools have followed the stars, the gods, and the fortune-teller, and what happened? You lost a very good bride. If not for your own fear, foolishness and superstitious, the stars, the gods, the tree and the fortune-teller can do nothing!"




"Fortune and blessings come from positive actions, not from stars."




"Fools wait for a lucky day;

To the wise, everyday is a lucky day."

- The Buddha




"Hard work is the luckiest star.

Consulting stars and lucky days in order to achieve success is a waste of time."

- The Buddha





"To do your best to help yourself is better than to rely solely on the stars or external sources."

- The Buddha





"Wheresoever fear arises, it arises in the mind of the fool,

Not in that of the wise man."

- The Buddha





"The fault is not in our stars but in ourselves."

- Shakespeare




"Anyone can overcome all his difficulties if he knows how to make use of his intelligence and will-power."

- Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda





"Man must overcome all his problems and difficulties by his own efforts and NOT through the medium of deities, spirits, astrology or fortune-telling."

- Venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda





"Whatever the mind perceives, the mind conceives, the mind believes, and the mind achieves;

As such, an ignorant mind achieves ignorance and a wise mind achieves wisdom."





"If the water in the rivers (such as the Ganges) could really wash away sins and suffering, then the turtles, crabs, fish and shellfish living in those sacred rivers ought by now to be freed of their sins and sufferings, too.

And, if a man could eliminate suffering by making offerings, paying homage, and praying, there would be no one subjected to suffering in the world, because anyone at all can pay homage and pray.

But since people are still subjected to suffering while in the very act of making obeisances, paying homage, and performing rites, it only goes to show that this is clearly not the way to gain liberation.

- The Buddha