Walking on a Wire

**Summary:** A Western boy who lost his legs prays to God for them to grow back on his birthday, but his faith shatters when the dream doesn’t come true. This story helps us understand what the Buddha’s true compassion is.

In a small room on the outskirts of Paris, where dim yellow light faded against the white-washed walls, a little boy sat by the window. His gaze drifted to the garden behind the house, where children his age were chasing each other in the afternoon sun. His hand unconsciously reached down to touch the polished wooden crutch, where his strong legs once were. There was a feeling of emptiness, a dull ache—not quite physical pain, but deeper; the pain of realizing he could never run and play like his friends again.

The boy had lost his legs in an accident when he was very young. The prosthetic technology of the time was not advanced, so he had to accept it.

Every week, he accompanied his father to church. In the silent space filled with the scent of incense and candle wax, he heard stories about an all-powerful God who could create heaven and earth, who could even make a human from Adam’s rib. If God could do that, then surely growing one small leg would be nothing. His faith grew stronger, until it became absolute. And so, before his tenth birthday, he made a decision.