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A Handful of
Sesame Seeds
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A Handful of Sesame Seeds
Written by
Ven. K. Rathanasara
Ms. Desiree Ho Tjea Ling
Illustrated by
Ms. Wutt Hmon
Designed by
Kyle Neo Kai Fu
ISBN No. 978-981-09-4968-6
Presented by
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“He abused me, he beat me, he defeated me,
and he robbed me, Those who conceive such thoughts,
their hatred never ceases”
(Dhp 3)
“Hatred never ceases by hatred at any time.
Through non-enmity alone, it ceases. This is an eternal law.”
(Dhp 5)
~ The Buddha ~
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Acknowledgement
It is with great pleasure we present you this book ‘A Handful of Sesame Seeds.’ This is a collective work
of a few Dhamma friends and my involvement is mainly as a spiritual advisor as well as a coordinator
for all the relevant parties. This is the first book of a series of children’s Dhamma books we plan to
produce with the aim of inspiring them to practise the Dhamma.
We also hope that this book can be used in Dhamma schools and Buddhist kindergartens. With this
intention, we have also included a section called ‘Questions for Prompting Story Analysis’ for the
teachers and parents to use as a guide in classrooms and homes.
This story is based on Tilamuṭṭhi Jātakaya (A Handful of Sesame Seeds), one of the stories found in the
Jātaka collection. Jātaka stories (narration of Buddha’s past lives) are collected and recorded as one
of the fifteenth books of Khuddaka Nikāya in the Sutta Piṭaka.
Jātaka stories depict how Bodhisatta cultivated the Ten Great Virtues in the process of training himself to
be a Fully Enlightened Buddha. Throughout the centuries, in various Buddhist countries and traditions,
Jātaka stories were used to inspire the followers to cultivate virtues as well as to introduce moral values.
Story telling is used from the beginning of human civilization as a form of entertainment as well as an
educational technique. As a great teacher, the Buddha used story telling in his sermons to communicate
his message of the Dhamma in an effective and skilful way.
Jātaka stories are enriched with ancient wisdom and knowledge discovered through thousands of years
of human experiences. There is a very rich literature of poems, songs, dramas, paintings, and so forth,
developed based on Jātaka stories in the history of Buddhism.
This book comes to you as a result of the contribution and dedication of many Dhamma friends. I take
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this opportunity to thank Ms. Desiree Ho Tjea Ling, Director of Dual-Lite Electric Pte Ltd, for
rewriting the Jātaka story in a language so lucid and simple, but yet conveying the moral lessons of the
story without deviating from the original idea.
Obviously, this book would not be so attractive if there were no pictures to illustrate key features of the
story. I would like to thank Ms.Wutt Hmon, Staff Nurse of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, for drawing such
beautiful pictures to enhance the book.
I would also like to express my thanks to Mr. Kyle Neo Kai Fu, Art Director of Flick Design, for the
creative design of this book and preparing it for final printing, and also to Ms. Kathrine Zee for
proofreading.
In addition, I would like to mention my gratitude to the generous Dhamma friends and sponsors
responsible for the cost of printing this book for free distribution. Thank you very much for always
supporting the Dhamma work.
Last but not least, my appreciation to the members and the Management Committee of Dhammakami
Buddhist Society for their continued dedication in helping to propagate the Dhamma.
May you all be well and happy!
Yours in the Dhamma
Ven. K. Rathanasara,
Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist Temple, Singapore
[email protected]
20 April, 2015
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A young prince goes to another country, and a
new school to study.
The prince likes to study. He is a good student.
He respects his new teacher.
His teacher brings him out, with his classmates.
They walk together to the shower house.
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Day 1
They pass by an old lady’s house. There are basket trays of
small sesame seeds drying in the sun.
The prince takes one handful of seeds and eats them.
The old woman sees it, but she keeps quiet. “I think this
boy is hungry”.
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Day 2
The prince eats one handful of seeds again.
The old woman keeps quiet again.
Day 3
The prince grabs one handful of seeds again.
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This time, the old woman shouts, “Teacher, your student is
eating my sesame seeds!
This has been for 3 days already!”
“Don’t cry, madam, I will give you the money for the
sesame seeds.”
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“Master, I do not want the money.
I want him to learn good manners.
Please teach him not to do it again” she replies.
The teacher nods his head. “Yes, madam”
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The teacher canes the prince three times.
One time for each day.
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The prince is angry.
But he did not say anything. He is angry inside his heart.
At school, the prince still studies hard.
He finishes his studies and goes home.
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His father is very happy with his good marks
and cleverness.
The prince becomes the new king.
He invites his teacher to visit.
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But his teacher did not come quickly.
“He will not understand what I want to say to him.”
He thinks,
“The new king is young and will still be angry.”
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Many years later, his teacher visits him at his palace.
The young king is happy to see his teacher.
But he starts to remember his teacher beating him.
He feels very angry.
“Teacher, I remember you beating me so hard, for
taking a few seeds! Now I will punish you for doing that!”
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The teacher replies him nicely.
“My king, when you take things that are not yours or
belong to others, without first asking, that is called stealing.
I must teach you that it is wrong to steal.
I do not want you to have a habit to steal.
I do not want you to become a thief.
People do not respect a king who has bad actions
like stealing.
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A good king has the right proper actions and behaviour.”
The king knows this is true and his teacher is right.
He quickly says, “I am sorry, teacher. Thank you for
teaching me the correct behaviour. I am not angry anymore
and am happy to see you.
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The teacher stays in his kingdom and teaches the king
to help many people.
The king is now a good king that many people love.
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MY MORAL LESSON:
My parents and teachers show me the correct way to do
things and right words to say.
They love me. They want me to be a good boy or a good girl.
When I make my father or mother angry, I shall say sorry to
them and shall not make the same wrong action again.
When I am a good boy or girl, my father and mother will
be happy.
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Questions for Prompting Story Analysis:
To Help Children Understand Morals
Use simple words and questions to encourage your children to think deeper.
Ask them why each scenario happened and what do they feel about it?
What is the intention behind each action?
Below are some example questions:
Why was the prince angry, when he was punished?
Could it be because he did not feel he was wrong?
Was it because he was a prince and he felt shameful that his teacher
caned him in front of many people?
Can we pay attention to our teacher and behave respectfully at school,
like what the prince did, out of gratitude to his father?
Share with them on other ways to be grateful to their parents.
Do you like the old woman? Why?
Do you think the old woman is a bad person, or a kind and caring one?
Bad – because she went to tell the prince’s teacher that he stole the seeds?
Kind – as she wants to help the prince to learn proper manners?
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Questions for Prompting Story Analysis:
To Help Children Understand Morals
The prince was angry with his teacher for a long time. It is a healthier habit
not to keep anger inside our hearts. Will it be easier to let go of anger if we change
our perspective?
If teacher did not punish the prince, what other bad habits and behaviour
will he develop? Apart from traditional punishments, how can we use other
methods to develop good behaviour and habits in your children?
Can we learn to be like the wise king, to forgive ourselves and others quickly,
when we realise that we were wrong?
When the teacher stayed with the king, the king helped many people
and his people love the king.
How can we help others, and encourage them to help more people as well?
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Sukho Puññassa Uccayo
(Accumulation of merits conduces to happiness)
This Dhamma Book comes to you with the compliments from the following Dhamma Friends listed below.
May the Sublime Teachings of the Buddha spread far and wide in the world! May the merits of this Dhamma
work be a conducive factor for all of us to attain Bliss of Nibbāna!
Mr. Lee Jin Ho & Family
Blessings for peace, happiness, success
and overall well-being
Ms. Loke Poh Hoi and Family
In loving memory of late Father
Mr. Loke Chor Leong
Mr. Edwin Yeo Ghim Guan & Family,
Ms. Yeo Hui Qing,
Ms. Yeo Hui Lin,
Blessings for peace, happiness, success
and overall well-being
Mr. Kyle Neo Kai Fu & Family
In loving memory of late Father
Mr. Neo Kee Song
Mdm. Tan Chwee Imm & Family,
Ms. Cassandra Loh,
Mdm. Jessica Loh Lee Kim,
Mdm. Magdalene Loh Lay Lay,
Blessings for peace, happiness, success
and overall well-being
Mr Ang Chin Chian and Family
Blessings for peace, happiness, success
and overall well-being
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Mdm. Chan Seow Lim and Family
In loving memory of late Husband
Mr. Wong Ah Chuan
Ms. Ong Jun Lin (Jacelyn)
In loving memory of late Father
Mr. Wong Ah Chuan
Ms.Fu Xiaowei & Family
In loving memory of late Grandmother
Mdm. Lau Ah Mui
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Sabbadānam Dhammadānam Jināti
(The gift of Dhamma surpasses all other gifts)
We greatly appreciate your kind generosity for any donations to support us in our efforts to continue printing of
Dhamma books for Free Distribution. If you wish to donate, please forward your cheque to:
DHAMMAKAMI BUDDHIST SOCIETY
67 Hume Avenue #05-02 Singapore 598744
Cheque should be crossed and made payable to Dhammakami Buddhist Society. Please indicate your name and
contact # at the back of the cheque. If you have questions, please email us at [email protected]
Thank you for your generous donation.
Other books written by Ven. K. Rathanasara
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confidential. Your information will not be used for any marketing purposes nor will it be given to any third parties.
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This story is based on Tilamuṭṭhi Jātakaya (A Handful of Sesame
Seeds), one of the stories found in the Jātaka collection. Jātaka
stories (narration of Buddha’s past lives) are collected and
recorded as one of the fifteenth books of Khuddaka Nikāya in the
Sutta Piṭaka.
Jātaka stories depict how Bodhisatta cultivated the Ten Great
Virtues in the process of training himself to be a Fully Enlightened
Buddha. Throughout the centuries, in various Buddhist countries
and traditions, Jātaka stories were used to inspire the followers to
cultivate virtues as well as to introduce moral values.
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