[This is a compilation of two stories, first a Tai Lue folktale, as told by Bouathong Phetdala in Nayang Tai Village, Luang Prabang Province, Lao PDR, January 2015 and second from A story by Mwe Khao and Khun Htai Hto as given in The Dog Holding the Moon In His Mouth and Other Folktales From Shan State (2009)]

---

Once long ago, Buddha sent for a buffalo to come and see Him. So the buffalo came to see Buddha. The Buddha gave buffalo a work to do.

"You go down to the earth to tell human beings that they should eat one meal every three days, because if they eat too much, they won't have enough to eat." Buddha ordered the buffalo to go and deliver his message.

So the divine buffalo went down to earth to tell human beings, "Buddha sent me to tell you that you should eat three meals a day." Then the buffalo went back up to Buddha.

Buddha asked the buffalo, "What did you say?"

Buffalo replied, "I told them to eat three meals a day."

Buddha became angry, "I told you to say one thing and you say something else. Why did you tell them three meals a day? I will slap your mouth"

Buddha then slapped the buffalo's mouth and the buffalo's upper teeth all fell out. Ever since then, buffaloe's don't have any upper teeth, only lower ones.

Buddha also said, "Because of this, you have to go and work for the humans. Go and work hard for them. Let them put a rope through your nose. And you must plough their fields where they grow their food." That is why, nowadays, human beings use buffaloes to plough their land to plant rice.

"If you're lazy, they can slaughter you for food. They'll eat your bones, meat and everything!" Ever since, human beings use buffalo to plough their lands to plant rice. And we slaughter lazy buffaloes for food if they will not work for us

Yes, we slaughter lazy buffaloes for food, and we eat them all up, even the bones. Buffaloes have been working for humans ever since.

---

When the Buddha lived, the Buddha left the temple to save all living things in the world. While Buddha was crossing the jungle, a buffalo saw the Buddha. Suddenly, in his mind, he felt respect for the Buddha and wanted to follow him.

“When I saw you, it was very strange. I felt very much respect for you. I want to follow you and protect you,” the buffalo said. “Can I follow you?” The Buddha allowed him to follow.

The Buddha and the buffalo continued their trip. The weather was very hot. Halfway through the trip, the buffalo saw a puddle and he wanted to bathe. So he asked permission from the Buddha and ran down to it. The Buddha waited for him near a banana tree. The buffalo spent a lot of time bathing. He thought the Buddha was waiting for him.

The buffalo looked at the Buddha again and again. He couldn’t see clearly because his face was full of mud.

“Why is the Buddha so patient and waiting for me?” he thought. He didn’t believe it and came out of the puddle. Then he saw there was a banana tree there instead of the Buddha.

The buffalo was very upset with the banana tree. “Why did the banana tree look like Buddha?” he thought. He headbutted the banana tree angrily.

Until now, when buffaloes see banana trees they headbutt them.

Moral of the story: We must respect others’ time and not make people to wait for us as long as we want.