Once, a Buddhist monk lived with his disciples in a monastery. One day,
a kitten lost its way and came into the
monastery. The monk and disciples began
taking its care.
So it had become accustomed to the place
and, therefore, never left.
Whenever the monk began meditating, the
kitten used to come and sit either in
his lap or climb on to his head or
shoulder, causing a disturbance in his
meditation. So one day the monk told a
disciple, "My child, you make sure to tie
the kitten to that particular tree
before I begin meditation." Over time, it
became a routine that the kitten was
tied to the tree before the monk began
meditating.
After his death, the most suitable
disciple of the monastery took his place.
He also followed the same routine of
tying the kitten to the tree before he
began meditating. The kitten had grown up
into a lovely cat, which was pampered by
one and all in the monastery. One day, the
cat died suddenly.
 
 
No one liked the disruption of this routine. So
it was decided that a new cat must be
brought for the purpose. After some search,
a cat was found and the same old routine
was restarted.
Many monks came and
left the monastery but the tradition
continued. Every time the cat died, a new
one was brought to continue the
tradition though it had no significance
other than that it had become a
superstitious belief.
