Peace and Contentment

Gautama, the Buddha, was passing through a forest when he saw a cool stream. He stopped, washed his feet and hands. After drinking some water, he walked across to the shade of a large tree and sat down, thinking about the Supreme Divinity.

The king of that place was going on horseback along the same way. As he was always engaged in war with other kings to enlarge his own kingdom, his heart was full of hatred, fear and jealousy.

Seeing that a Sanyasin was sitting idle with closed eyes under a tree, he got down from the horse's back and started shouting angrily at the Buddha.

"Oh, Sanyasin, open your eyes and see who is in front of you. Even a king like me does not sit idle. You Sanyasins feed yourselves on others' labour and preach idleness to others as well." Speaking in this tone, he went on pouring hot words of anger and abuse on Gautama till he himself felt tired and exhausted.

Gautama, who was calm all the time, slowly opened his eyes and, with a smile, said to the king, "Sit down, my son. Surely you are tired and thirsty. May I fetch you some cool water from that stream?"

The king was stunned by these soft and sweet words of love. He immediately felt that this Sanyasin must be the great Prince Siddharta who had left the pleasures of the palace in search of peace and then became Gautama Buddha or Gautama the Enlightened One.

So he fell at the Sanyasin's feet and said, "Please forgive my mistake. Tell me how, in spite of all my anger and abuse, you are so quiet and calm and even so loving towards me."

"My son," said the Buddha. "Suppose you offer a plateful of sweets to another but he does not accept it. Where does it go then? "

Prompt came the answer from the king. "Of course, it goes back to the giver."

"Then don't you see that I have not accepted a single word of all that you said? How then can those words hurt me?"

(Spiritual Impressions)