(Exposition)

It was a cold autumn day in the small village of Greenfield.  In the center of the village, there was a little pig named Piggy. Piggy loved to eat more than anything else in the world.

Piggy spent most of his days looking around the village, searching for his next delicious meal. He would sniff out the freshest fruits and vegetables from the farmer's market, and eat them up in just a few bites. The people in the town would see Piggy eating so much and laugh. "That pig sure does love his food!" they would say.

(Conflict)

One day, Piggy was exploring the edges of the village when he stumbled upon a large, wooden building. Curious, he squeezed through a gap in the door and peeked inside. Piggy's eyes grew big with happiness. The building was filled with with all sorts of fruits and vegetables. Without a thought, Piggy started gobbling up potatoes, carrots, apples, and anything else he could get his mouth on. 

(Rising Action)

The villagers soon noticed that the food supplies were running low, and they were very worried. They couldn't understand what had happened until they saw Piggy coming out of the warehouse, his belly swaying back and forth. "Piggy, how could you do this to us?" cried the Cow, her voice filled with anger and disappointment. Piggy's ears drooped as he replied, "I'm so sorry, I couldn't help myself. I was just so hungry." "Now there may not be enough food for all of us to make it through the winter!" said the Sheep, shaking her head in dismay. The Goat turned to the other villagers and said, "We can't trust Piggy anymore. He's betrayed our community. We should send him away until he can find a way to make this right." The villagers were outraged by Piggy's actions, and they decided that the only way for Piggy to make up for it is to send him to the forest to find more food.

As Piggy walked into the forest, feeling bad for eating all the food, he knew he had to make things right but had no idea how. Suddenly, Piggy came across a group of people who seemed to be deep in meditation under the trees. They welcomed Piggy, sensing his troubled spirit. "What seems to be the problem?" said the Red Sage. "I ate all the food that my village has been saving for the winter, and I don't know how to fix my mistake," replied Piggy. "Well, perhaps the teachings of our religion, Hinduism, can help you," said the Green Sage. The sages began to explain the teachings of Hinduism to Piggy. "In our tradition, we believe in living in harmony with the divine order of the universe. The Vedas, our ancient scriptures, teach us to take only what we need from the land and to give back in return," said the Green Sage."

Piggy listened, understanding that he didn't need to eat all the food and he only needed to eat enough to not be hungry. "What else can I do to help my village?" he asked.

"You can help your village by following the path of Karma Yoga." "It is one of the four yoga paths that teaches us to perform work for the benefit of others without expecting anything in return." the Blue Sage replied (“THE FOUR YOGAS”). "You can use this path to keep your village together and find ways to solve the food shortage." Piggy nodded, understanding that he needed to take responsibility for his actions and find a way to work for his village. The sage’s words inspired Piggy to stick with the Hindu values of harmony and balance. Piggy thanked the three sages of Hinduism and continued on his journey to learn more about himself and his mistakes.

As Piggy continued his journey, he encountered a group of Buddhist monks who lived a simple, mindful life in the forest. They welcomed him and shared their teachings. "The Buddha taught us that the root of all suffering is desire," one of them explained (J. Mark). "By letting go of our attachments and cultivating compassion, we can find ways to ensure everyone meets their needs. "Piggy realized his overeating had been driven by desire and that he needed to let go of this attachment to truly help his community. The Buddhists showed him how the practice of mindfulness could guide him to make wise decisions that benefited all.

Desire is the cause of suffering.

"Piggy was deeply moved by the Buddhist teachings on the nature of suffering and the path to enlightenment. He recognized the ways in which his own desire for food had caused harm to his village, and he was determined to find a way to make amends and help others. The Buddhists encouraged Piggy to continue his journey and to use the principles of their tradition to guide his actions and decisions going forward. Before Piggy left, one of the monks reminded him, "The Dhammapada, one of our sacred texts, teaches that the root of all suffering is desire (RC)." "By practicing mindfulness and compassion, we can break free from the cycle of craving and find true peace."

While Piggy was wandering through the forest, he saw an owl sitting on a branch. The owl hooted softly, drawing Piggy's attention. "Hello there, Piggy," the owl said. "I couldn't help but notice your troubled spirit. What brings you to this forest?" Piggy explained his story, how he had selfishly consumed the village's food supplies, and how the villagers had told him to find a way to bring the food he ate back in the hopes that he could find a way to make things right.