This fable by Michio Kushi appears at the end of his lecture on “Balancing Principles Of The Mind” which can viewed on YouTube here:
Michio Kushi:
I give you a fable story.
Four boys heard, all the young boys heard.
In the mountain, there is a devil, demon, demon was living.
He has mysterious, powerful, the hammer, which creates gold.
Those four boys were so curious, so they traveled [to the] mountain.
Then they came to his cave.
Demon was there with his hammer.
They asked Demon, “That hammer really creates gold?”
Demon, ”Yes”.
They asked, ”We know, we heard you have a tremendous power to realize wishes.
Is that so?”
He said, ”Yes”.
He said, ”Tell me any wish.
If that wish is wonderful wish, I give it to you.
If not good wish, I don't give.
One wish tell each person, each boy.”
First boy said, ”Give me gold!
Give me gold!”.
Demon said, ”Your wish is bad!
After you get the gold, if you use it, all gone!
If you don't use it,
It's same thing you don't have gold.”
The other boy said, “Give me that hammer!
Give me that hammer!”
God, the demon smiles.
”Your wish is not good!
After you get this hammer, you may make gold, but then someone will steal that.
What do you do?”
Then another boy said, “Give me knowledge how to make that hammer!”
Demon made a little serious face.
“You are a little clever, but it's not enough.
Suppose I give the knowledge.
Okay, I write to you.
If someone steal it, what do you do?
When I give you knowledge then, without writing paper, you have to memorize.
Suppose after you forget, what do you do?”
Then other person said, “Give me your brain.
which can think how to make this."
Then demon said, “That's good, but still not enough.
All four, you failed.
Even I give you brain, you may spoil this brain, because brain changes every day.
Someday dumb, someday clever.
And then demon laughed.
Then demon said,
”Why you didn't ask principle,
law of life,
which make you very healthy,
very clever,
very happy,
which make you think any time to make wonderful tools.
Why you didn't ask that?
You all failed.
Go home.”
And he slept.
So all four boys disappointed and went home.
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