Once upon a time, there was a Yuan Yin Temple, where many people came every day to burn incense and worship Buddha; the temple was very prosperous. On a beam in front of the Yuan Yin Temple, a spider had woven a web. Because it was exposed daily to the incense and the sincere worship, the spider developed a Buddha-nature. After more than a thousand years of cultivation, the spider's Buddha-nature had increased significantly.\ One day, suddenly, the Buddha came to visit Yuan Yin Temple. Seeing the temple so bustling with incense and worshippers, he was very pleased. As he was leaving the temple, he happened to look up and saw the spider on the beam. The Buddha stopped and asked the spider, 'It is fate that we meet. I want to ask you a question and see if, after more than a thousand years of cultivation, you have any true insight. What do you think?' The spider was very happy to meet the Buddha and hurriedly agreed. The Buddha asked, 'What is the most precious thing in the world?' The spider thought for a moment and replied, 'The most precious things in the world are ‘what we cannot obtain' and ‘what we have lost.'' The Buddha nodded and left.\ Another thousand years passed, and the spider was still cultivating on the beam of Yuan Yin Temple, with its Buddha-nature greatly enhanced. One day, the Buddha again came to the temple and said to the spider, 'Have you been well? Regarding the question from a thousand years ago, do you have a deeper understanding now?' The spider said, 'I still think the most precious things in the world are ‘what we cannot obtain' and ‘what we have lost.'' The Buddha said, 'Think about it more carefully, I will come to visit you again.'\ Another thousand years passed. One day, a strong wind blew, carrying a drop of sweet dew onto the spider's web. The spider looked at the dew; seeing it crystal clear and beautiful, it felt a sudden affection for it. The spider was happy every day watching the dew, feeling these were the happiest days in three thousand years. Suddenly, another gust of wind blew the dew away. The spider immediately felt it had lost something, feeling lonely and sad. At this time, the Buddha came again and asked the spider, 'Spider, over this thousand years, have you thought carefully about this question: what is the most precious thing in the world?' The spider thought of the dew and said to the Buddha, 'The most precious things in the world are ‘what we cannot obtain' and ‘what we have lost.'' The Buddha said, 'Good, since you have this understanding, I will allow you to go into the human world.'\ And so, the spider was reincarnated into an official's family and became a rich young lady. Her parents gave her the name Zhuer. In the blink of an eye, Zhuer reached sixteen years old; she had become a graceful and beautiful young woman, charming and delicate.On this day, the emperor decided to hold a celebratory banquet in the rear garden for Gan Lu, the newly crowned top scholar. Many young ladies attended, including Zhu'er, as well as the emperor's little princess, Princess Changfeng. During the banquet, the top scholar performed poetry and songs, displaying his talents, and every girl present was captivated by him. But Zhu'er was neither nervous nor jealous, because she knew that this marriage was destined for her by the Buddha.
A few days later, by coincidence, Zhu'er accompanied her mother to pray at the temple, and Gan Lu happened to be there with his mother as well. After offering incense and prayers, the two elders conversed for a while. Zhu'er and Gan Lu then went to the corridor to chat. Zhu'er was very happy, as she could finally be with the person she liked, but Gan Lu did not show any affection toward her. Zhu'er asked Gan Lu, "Do you not remember what happened sixteen years ago on the spiderweb at Yuanyin Temple?" Gan Lu was very surprised and said, "Miss Zhu'er, you are beautiful and charming, but isn't your imagination a bit too wild?" With that, he left with his mother.
Returning home, Zhu'er thought, since the Buddha arranged this match, why does he not let him remember that incident? Why does Gan Lu have no feelings for me?
A few days later, the emperor issued a decree for the new top scholar Gan Lu to marry Princess Changfeng, and for Zhu'er to marry Crown Prince Zhi Cao. This news struck Zhu'er like a bolt from the blue; she could not understand how the Buddha could treat her this way. For days, she neither ate nor drank, thinking desperately, and her soul was about to leave her body; her life was in imminent danger. Crown Prince Zhi Cao, upon learning this, hurried over, threw himself beside her bed, and said to the dying Zhu'er, "That day, among all the girls in the rear garden, I fell in love with you at first sight. I begged my father, and only then did he agree. If you die, then I will not live either." Saying this, he picked up his sword, intending to commit suicide.
At that moment, the Buddha appeared. He spoke to Zhu'er's soul, which was about to depart: "Spider, have you ever thought about who brought Gan Lu (Sweet Dew) to you? It was the wind (Princess Changfeng) who brought him, and in the end, it was the wind who took him away. Gan Lu belongs to Princess Changfeng; he is merely a chapter in your life. And Crown Prince Zhi Cao was once a small grass in front of Yuanyin Temple. He has watched you for three thousand years and loved you for three thousand years, yet you never once bent down to look at him. Spider, I ask you again, what is truly the most precious thing in the world?After hearing these truths, the spider seemed to suddenly have a great enlightenment. She said to the Buddha, 'The most precious thing in the world is not what cannot be obtained or what has been lost, but the happiness that can be grasped in the present.' As soon as she finished speaking, the Buddha left, and the spider's soul returned to her body. She opened her eyes, saw Prince Zhicao about to commit suicide, immediately knocked away the sword, and embraced the prince deeply...
The story ends here. Can you understand what the spider meant in her final words? 'The most precious thing in the world is not what cannot be obtained or what has been lost, but the happiness that can be grasped in the present.'
