Amy was arguing with her father about whether scripture is true or just mythological. Rev. Clovis Jones argued that scripture is true, she maintained that it is nothing but fairy tales. They decided to put Texas Buddha on the spot. Amy called TB on the phone and said, “So, who do you think is right? Dad says scripture is true, and I say it is fairy tale.”
TB laughed. “Truths of the heart can only be taught with fairy tales as you call them. There are truths we can sing but not say.
“Some scripture is like the song children sing so they can skip rope together. The secret isn’t only in the song but also in the singing. Good religion is the song and dance we do together to wake up to our one world. Bad religion is the song and dance we do to make special claims upon that world for our selves or our group.
“I once heard of a farmer who had three lazy children. Because he was dying, he feared they would not survive with their lackluster commitment to hard work. Just as he was dying, he hoarsely whispered that gold was buried in the field and they had only to dig to find it. But he said they could only find the treasure if they worked together.
“As soon as his funeral was over the three children went out to the field and began to dig, each hoping to find the treasure before the others so he or she could keep it and not have to share. They dug all through the summer looking for the gold, but finally gave up as summer came to a close.
“That year it was easy to plant seed because they had dug up the field so thoroughly. They brought in more corn than ever. It was only when they cashed in their unprecedented yield at market that they realized the truth of their father’s parable. There was gold in the field and they could only claim it if they worked together.”