Reading Notes:


  • The Cunning Crane and the Crab by W. H. D. Rouse was my favorite out of all eight stories. Intriguing characters such as somewhat cunning Crane, foolish fish, and even more cunning Crab. I thought the plot build up was somewhat grotesque with the fish being eaten one-by-one. Fish had a very bittersweet death, Crane had what was coming.
  • Fish were in a dire situation and had no chance but to take a risk for a better life. The Crane saw this opportunity and had greater ability than the fish to deceive them. Crane uses one to convince the others, and then they were eaten one-by-one.
  • Crab, although in a dried up pond, took advantage of Crane and was able to get a ride to the lake and not be eaten. Crab even ended up killing Crane, even though Crab didn't need to for food, was purely out of karma.
  • Crane's strengths: natural born abilities, patience, ability to detect an opportunity. 
  • Crane's weaknesses: ability to be easily deceived, even by those with much less capabilities than his own. Also, becomes too eager due to hunger.
  • Crab's Strengths: ability to detect danger, ability to deceive, taking opportunity and risk.
  • Crab's weaknesses: natural born environment, size.

  • Noisy Out of Season translated by Robert Chalmers is good story for parallels and similarities between past and current lives.
  • Describes characteristics of one brother as a human, has loud and obnoxious characteristics. He is always disturbing others and being loud when he is not supposed to (out of season).
  • The brother's past life he was a rooster, so he crowed a lot. However, he was a rooster in a grave yard, so he would crow whenever he felt like it instead of only during sunrise. This caused a disturbance for the farmers that adopted him, and they decided to kill him instead.
  • Brother/Rooster weaknesses: loud, untimely, out of sync, unaware of his surroundings. Ultimately leads to his downfall.
  • Good story for reincarnation to show how past characteristics follow someone throughout their lives, no matter the animal.
Whooping crane
Crane
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