The Tiger and the Strawberry. Do you know the story?

A man is running for his life from a tiger in the jungle, stumbling over rocks, crashing through underbrush, and in his terror, runs right over the edge of a cliff. He catches a strawberry vine on the way down and hangs there a moment. He looks up and sees the tiger above him. He looks below him and sees a pit of snakes (or, in some versions, another tiger). Death above, death below. And then, two mice skitter down to the vine, one black and one white, and they begin to chew through the vine. The man, knowing his eventual fate, reaches for a strawberry nearby and eats it, and it was the sweetest berry he ever had.

Ultimately, the tiger represents all the things that hound us in life - the striving, the attachment, the unfulfilled desires, and ultimately.... Death, which comes for us all. The mice represent night and day - the passage of time. The tiger and the mice cannot be shaken or lost. They are with us always. But the berry is the sweetness we encounter along the way. Life is like that. Do you agree? What other meanings do you see hidden in the parable? There's no right answer. That's the beauty of Zen parables - they contain layers of meaning and everyone takes what they will from them!

Original artwork only, and painted to order, PLEASE NOTE THAT EVERY PIECE WILL BE UNIQUE TO YOU. This composition measures roughly 12.5 x 26in, and comes either backed and ready for your own custom framing (on elegant gold-fleck shuen paper), or painted directly on a silk brocade hanging wall scroll (no gold flecks), ready to hang straight from the box.

The medium scroll, containing the standard size painting, measures 39.5 x 19.5 inches.  Color is an antique gray background with brown brocade. Neutral from afar, it complements any interior wall color and decor. See pictures for detail.

Scrolls are hand-crafted of the finest materials - silk brocade, wooden rods, and rice paper - and are convenient to handle, store and hang.