Among the world's tallest mountains, there lived a wizard named Bari. Bari's job was to control the weather in a small valley. Bari brought gentle rains each day in the afternoon. And the wild storms with lightning and hail he drove away so the crops in the valley would be safe.
But after a lifetime of controlling the weather, Bari had seen enough of rain and thunderstorms passing by. Now he wished only for clear, blue skies. So he moved into a small house on a mountaintop looking down on the valley. Bari decided he would allow clouds to come and rain only once a week.
But a new wizard named Vajra moved in nearby. Vajra built a house on top of the mountain on the other side of the valley. Though Vajra had just graduated from weather controlling school, he liked rain because he loved rainbows. Watching rainbows, all kinds and sizes, was his favorite hobby.
Each morning just after sunrise Vajra called a few clouds over to his side of the valley. The sunlight sparkled in the falling rain. Rainbows then laced the sky as Vajra sat down to eat breakfast.
But Bari became angry when he saw clouds hovering over the valley day after day. And so it was not long before the two wizards were fighting. Vajra called rain clouds and Bari pushed them away.
Unfortunately, when the two wizards fought, the rain clouds became stuck over the center of the valley. With the constant rain, it was not long before the river flooded its banks. Bridges broke and the fields and crops lay in ruin.
The villagers who lived in the valley begged the two wizards to stop fighting, but each wizard was determined to have his own way. Bari wanted clear skies and Vajra wanted rainbows. Alas. The wizards were so powerful no one dared interfere with their war.
But after a few weeks of steady rain, a young shepherd boy named Jeren remembered there was an abandoned temple hidden in the forest. The temple belonged to the Lord of Boundless Light. Jeren pushed his way through the thick undergrowth blocking the temple gate. He entered the temple and knelt in front of a huge, stone statute.
Jeren then prayed to the Lord of Light: "Your light shines brighter than the radiance of ten thousand suns. Nothing is hidden from you nor is your strength ever diminished. You calm the storm, change winter into spring, and cause the earthquake to fall asleep. You bring peace to the hearts of men and for the sake of peace I now ask for your help. Send your servant, the Goddess of Compassion, to restore harmony to our valley."
Jeren left the temple not knowing if his prayer had been answered or not. But that night the Goddess of Compassion appeared to both wizards while they slept. In their dreams, the Goddess took them high into the sky.
She said, "Both of you want to change nature to satisfy your desires."
To Bari who hated clouds she said, "Search the sky. Show me a fence that can hold the clouds back. If you can find such a fence, I will grant your wish. The clouds will stay away from your side of the valley for the rest of your life."
And to Vajra, who loved rainbows, she said, "Find a chain to bind the sun. If you can hold the sun in place, I promise you a sky full of rainbows twenty-four hours a day."
And so the two wizards set off to meet her demands. Bari went and searched everywhere for a fence to contain the clouds. He found garden fences, courtyard fences, castle walls, and walls for defending empires. But he found no fence great enough to stop the clouds from flowing by.
Finally Bari asked the Sky, "Where can I find a fence to keep the clouds away? And the Sky replied, "I have never been troubled by the greatest of storms nor have I ever lost the smallest wisp of a cloud. I give the birds, the winds, and the clouds complete freedom. They find their own way as they fly through the sky."
And then the Sky said to Bari, "But you have asked me a most unusual question. Why do you want this fence?"
And Bari replied, "Because I love the vastness, the blue depths, and the openness of the sky."
And the Sky said, "You need no fence. Instead, I will open your heart so it is big enough to hold the clouds, the rainbows, and the blue expanse within it." The Sky touched Bari's chest. Bari then felt his heart become as vast and clear as the sky.
Meanwhile, Vajra searched for a chain to bind the sun. He looked at the chains anchoring ships in the sea. He tested the strength of chains lifting castle gates and drawbridges. He yanked on the chains which elephants used to pull down trees. But none of these were strong enough.
Finally, he found the greatest blacksmith on earth and paid him to forge the biggest chain ever made. When the chain was done Vajra flew with it to the sun. But the chain only melted from the sun's heat.
So Vajra asked the sun, "How can I bind you so you will stay in one place?"
And the sun replied, "Nothing can bind nor limit me except my own Joy. The song in my heart streams forth as light and is heard throughout the universe. For what purpose do you make such a foolish request of me?"
And Vajra replied, "Only the rainbow reveals to the whole world the beauty of the colors hidden in your light. My wish is for this beauty to shine both by day and by night."
"Ah," said the sun who then nodded. "You speak out of love for the light. Here. I will give you my Joy." And saying this, the sun touched Vajra's chest. Then Vajra felt all the colors of the rainbow shining with delight from his heart.
And so Vajra and Bari returned to speak with the Goddess of Compassion. The two wizards said, "We can neither fence in the clouds nor bind the sun in place."
Then the Goddess said: "In trying to satisfy your desires, you have become wise." And as the two wizards watched, the Goddess became huge until she held a thunderstorm in her left hand and the sun in her right hand.
And then she said, "Where does Joy shine as bright as within the sun? Though the sun appears only during the day it fears neither darkness nor night.
"And whose heart is as vast as the sky? The sky clings to neither the beauty of the rainbow nor does it flee from the lightning or the howling wind. Awake now from your dreams and share with others the wonders your hearts have discovered."
Gentle clouds now roll through the sky over the valley. The bridges are repaired. Crops grow again. And the people are happy.
The wizards, however, went and found Jeren and taught him all they knew about magic. But more than the art of controlling weather, they taught him about the joy and the peace that overflow from a heart filled with love.