You'd probably have read about Aesop's The Mice in Council and familiar with this phrase Belling the cat or To bell a cat but this Tibetan story about s cat and some mice is just as interesting. Agnija is a cat which upon old age, loses the power to catch mice and has to rely on trickery instead. Feigning regret over his past act of killing mice,he told a company of 500 mice that he is going to do penance. The mice believe him and become too lax in their attitude that Agnija could catch them as they go about their daily life. The chief of the mice noticing the cat getting fat and healthier and the population of the mice dwindling starts to keep a careful watch and found out that the cat had indeed eaten his subjects when they least expect it. And he then came up with this verse: As the uncle's body waxes bigger,but my troop on the contrary becomes smaller,and as he who eats roots and berries will not become fat and well covered with hair,this is not a genuine penance,but one performed only for the sake of gain.Because the number of the mice diminished,have you, O Agnija, thrived. Talking about penance, I wonder if Buddhist, like Christians or Hindus, do penance... HIndus doing penance during Thaipusan at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur...
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