Hello,
Once upon a time, there was a poor fisherman named Hakyu Ryu, who caught very few fish and barely managed to make a living. He lived alone, not being wealthy enough to take a wife, in a wretched hut situated near a beautiful pine forest at the foot of Mount Fuji, whose summit is covered with eternal snow. In front of his door stretched a long white sandy beach, and he gazed out to the horizon at the brilliant blue of the Pacific Ocean.
Hakyu appreciated this enchanting landscape, and he often dreamed. It helped him get through life. One spring morning, as he was crossing the pine forest, he spotted a magnificent garment hanging from a branch; it was made of light silver and golden feathers, the fabric seemed woven from light, and Hakyu was almost dazed by it. Tempted, he hesitated, glanced around. He was alone. He took the garment, carried it to his hut, and hid it under a pile of firewood. In the evening, on his tatami, before drifting off to sleep, he calculated the benefits his theft would bring him.
Tomorrow I will go to the market, I will sell this garment at a good price, I will buy new and sturdy nets, perhaps a boat, I will then have some good catches, I will become a rich man, and then I will take a wife…
Upon these wondrous visions, he fell asleep. During the night, he had a dream. A very beautiful young girl appeared to him:
"I am an angel," she said, "I have come from the heavens to visit the world. But you have taken my garment, and I cannot return to heaven without my robe. I beg you, give it back to me!"
Hakyu interrupted him:
I understand none of your words; I did not steal your robe, which I have never seen! But since you are in my house at this hour of the night, come and share my bed.
And seized by a sudden desire, he embraced her and tried to kiss her. It was then that he woke up. The dream left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he felt ashamed.
"What!" he said to himself, "I steal a magnificent garment, I lie to the young girl to whom it belongs, and I want to force her to share my bed."
He remembered an old Zen master whose teachings he had followed in his youth.
There will be no peace or happiness for you if you do not practice justice, if you stray from the truth, if you do not feel compassion.
Hakyu then decided to search everywhere for the young girl, and to find no rest until he had returned her garment of light. The next day, very early, he went to the beach and scanned the horizon, in vain. He approached the pine grove, and there, under a tree, he saw the girl from his dream weeping. He returned her garment. She thanked him with great joy and effusion. When she put on her robe of light, she transformed and became an angel who rose gently into the heavens, dancing with unprecedented grace.
Noh theater often depicts this angel's dance. It is an extraordinary performance, one of the most beautiful imaginable. Hakyu was the first to witness it, and he fell into a trance. He returned to his hut. In the days that followed, he caught as much fish as his nets could hold.
He got married, had many children, and they all lived happily for a long, long time
Marylena