Two People with Three Legs
Henry and Peter had been good friends since they were little. But the two did not get along well recently and hadn't talked to each other for a week. Peter blamed on Henry for being a miser (Chinese: "petty ghost", and Henry claimed Peter was a bully (Chinese: "rude ghost"). The last thing they wanted to do was to mend their friendship. The two mothers discussed how to make the the boys come back from the ghost realm and become good friends again in the human world.

Since there happened to be an athletic competition at school, and they each said to their sons, "Your Mom can't make it this weekend, so you go to watch your compete sister on my behalf." Fanny was very excited about it, because among the events there was going to be her favorite, the three-legged race. Each contestant's leg was tied to his partner's, so they had to run cooperatively with three legs; otherwise, not only would they not be able to run fast, but they would probably fall. Little Annie was excited because this event was their specialty. She and Fanny worked together so well that they were the fastest pair. The day before the contest, Annie excitedly told her brother Peter how she and Fanny had practiced at school and were able to coordinate perfectly. This made Peter remember, "I used to run the three-legged race with Henry as my partner. What a great pair we were! Yet now..."

Inevitably, Henry and Peter bumped into each other on the playground. Pretending not to see each other, each tried to find something to do, and walked in different directions, feeling very uncomfortable inside. The race was starting! Wow! This time everyone had trained hard, and the competition was keen. There were Fanny and Annie running, uh-oh! Their tied-up legs didn't coordinate well, right at the beginning, and they almost stumbled! Henry and Peter yelled at the same time, "Fanny slow down! Annie go faster!" As they were cheering, Henry suddenly slapped Peter on the back, "Ha! See how cooperative they are now!" Joyfully hopping up and down, Peter cried, "Just like us in the past!"

Just like us in the past!" exploded in their minds like a bomb. Confused for a split second, they looked at each other, then burst out laughing and reached out to hold hands, "Yes, just like us in the past!"
When the competition was over, the two brothers were in the front, talking and laughing about the funny incidents in their elementary school days. The two sisters were merrily skipping and singing, "The more we get together, together..."

The cold and hot war which had hampered their friendship were both settled now. That day the two mothers sat on the beach, chatting and looking at their children. Fanny and Annie were working together, speedily collecting a bunch of shells. Henry and Peter were making a tall, firm sandcastle. The tides of the sea came and went, but the castle of friendship was not worn away; rather, more shells were washed up. Mrs. Wu sighed and said, "If two people are of like mind, the benefits are like gold." "Don't I agree!" Mrs. Hu replied with smile, "Look at the miser and the bully, they are certainly much more human now! Aren't they lovely!" "Yes indeed! The world becomes unlovely when peace can't be found, and all kinds of 'ghosts' abound. Because there are ghosts in their hearts, people are mutually defensive and deceptive to the point they stop at nothing! No wonder there is fighting!" Catching part of the conversation, Fanny and Annie ran over and asked, "What ghosts?" The two mothers laughed, hugged their daughters and said, "You two naughty girls!"

Dharma Realm Verse
by Venerable Master Hua
With the Dharma Realm as substance, what
could be outside?
With empty space as function nothing is
excluded.
The myriad things are level and equal -‑
apart from discriminations.
When not a single thought is produced, that
puts an end to words and doctrines.