Once, in a great green forest, there lived a happy little parrot. He loved his home — the tall trees, the cool streams, the deer and elephants and singing birds who shared it with him. One dry season, lightning struck a dead tree, and a terrible fire began to spread. Flames leapt from branch to branch, smoke rolled through the valleys, and all the animals ran and flew for their lives.
The little parrot flew up above the smoke. Safe in the high, clear air, he looked down — and saw animals trapped between the walls of fire: little ones, slow ones, families who could not run fast enough. "I must do something," he said. He darted to the river, dipped himself in the water, and flew back over the blaze. Then he shook his wings, and a few small drops — tiny, precious drops — fell sparkling into the roaring flames. Back to the river he flew, and back to the fire, again and again, a pinch of water at a time, while the heat singed his feathers and the smoke stung his eyes.
High above the world, some gods reclining in their cloud palaces looked down and laughed. "Look at that foolish parrot! He is trying to put out a forest fire with drops from his wings!" But one god did not laugh. Taking the form of a golden eagle, he flew down beside the little parrot and said, "Little bird, this fire is too great for you. Fly away and save yourself!" The parrot, red-eyed and smoke-stained, called back, "I do not need advice from the sky. I need help! My friends are down there — and while I have wings to fly, I will not stop."
The god's heart shook. Ashamed of his idle laughter, he began to weep — and the tears of a god are no small thing. They fell like sweet rain, stream upon stream, hissing into the flames until every last ember went dark. The forest steamed, then dripped, then breathed again. Green shoots rose from the ash, the animals returned home, and on a high branch sat one very tired, very happy little parrot.
When the Buddha finished this story, he said, "In that life, the brave little parrot who would not give up was I myself."