The Stonecutter tale dramatizes a shared Taoist and Buddhist teaching about desire

Evidence

For the 10-year-old (Ages 9–11): The Stonecutter is told in both China and Japan, and it dramatizes a teaching at the heart of both Taoism and Buddhism: that endless desire for more leads only to more dissatisfaction, and that contentment comes from accepting what you are. — , A Year of World Stories, 7924

Categorization

• DEFINE: Concise framing of the Taoist/Buddhist core teaching on desire versus contentment.