"The Spider's Thread" by Ryunosuke Akutagawa is a short fantasy tale which aims to impart a moral lesson on compassion and salvation. The story is about a great robber who had done many evil things, Kandata.

Kandata together with the other sinners are suffering in the Floor of Hell. Unlike the other sinners, Kandata did a one good action when he spared the spider's life.

When Buddha looked down into Hell, he remembered the small kindness that Kandata performed in life which earns him a chance at redemption.

The Buddha quietly lowers a spider's thread into Hell.Kandata had been rising and sinking with the other sinners in the Pool of Blood on the Floor of Hell. On this day, Kandata lifted his head by chance. He saw a silver spider's thread and thought that this thread may help him enter the Paradise.He uses this to ascend and hold it tightly.

Miraculously, The thin thread supports not only Kandata but hundreds of sinners also attempting to escape. Because of the selfishness Kandata voice out loudly that the thread is for him. At that moment, the thread suddenly broke showing no sign.

As a Christian, I observed that the story had never mentioned the virtue of forgiveness. A bible says "How many times must I forgive my brother?" " not seven times, but seventy times seven times. Christians are capable of doing sins but capable of great repentance and great forgiveness. In this, there is a reward, the salvation that comes from an external source-God. We believe that our actions are evaluated in the final judgment. Unlike, Buddhism they believe that "if there is an effect, there is a cause". Just like "Do not do unto others what you want them to do unto you". They believe that salvation comes from your actions, not from anyone else. There is no "Bahala Na" statements. In short, salvation is in your hands.