Twenty-two Asian folktales celebrate the power of action motivated by compassion, love, and wisdom. These are stories to read again and again, with a heart attuned to the knowledge they awaken within. From the tale "The Monster of the Lotus Lake": Once there were three brothers: Moon, Sun, and Peace, and a Monster who controlled a nearby lake. This monster always posed the same question to anyone who entered the lake: "What is right and what is wrong?" The monster gobbled up anyone who could not answer correctly, although secretly he longed to hear the true answer. One day Moon jumped into the lake, and the monster grabbed him, saying "Brother, do you know what is right and what is wrong?" "Certainly," said Moon. Actions that are sunlike or moonlike are right. The rest are wrong." "Your answer is not fully correct, so I will keep you captive in my prison for now." He dragged Moon under the waters and imprisoned him in a castle. Noticing that Moon was late in returning, Peace sent Sun to look for him. The sparkling waters of the lake and the huge lotuses swaying in the mild waves tempted the young prince. "Let me refresh myself first," he thought. "Then I will look for Moon. He must be in the woods looking for fruit." Sun splashed into that beautiful lotus-filled lake. The monster immediately emerged from the waters. "Can you tell me the difference between right and wrong?" inquired the monster. "Of course," said Sun. "An action is right when it is done after giving due thought to all that is happening in each of the four directions. Thoughtless actions, done in haste, tend to be wrong." "Not completely correct!" gloated the monster. The fate of the Sun was the same as that of the Moon. The monster took him to the fortress under the lake and held him captive there. The monster then magically assumed the figure of a hunter, and appeared before the third brother, Peace. Peace said to the hunter "I am looking for my two brothers. Do you have anything to do with their disappearance?" "Yes," said the hunter. . .
