Patience

Once upon time, in ancient India, Buddha, the enlightened one was sitting under the tree talking and giving advices to his disciples. At that time, one man came there and spat on his face without any words. Monks, who was sitting around Buddha, kept looking aghast towards the man again to the all knowing one, enabling to understand the matters. 

The Buddha, wiped his face and asked ‘’ Oh, devotee (Upasak), what’s next?’’ with smile in his face ‘what do you want to say or do next?’’. The man he himself amazed because, he never expected these sorts of kind, filled compassionate and commiserative words from the man, upon whose face had spit, besides getting angry and spit back. Instead a question ‘’what’s next?’’. He had hundreds of these kinds of experiences in his past. Hundreds of time, he had insulted this way to other people. They would get angry and hit him back until he could not get up. Or, if the victims were disabled, enable-bodied, they would smile or laughed him back to bribe. But the Buddha was different. He neither bribes him back nor got reaction and spit on his face. Instead, he asked the kindly question ‘’what’s next?’’

                                                                            But his disciples, specially, Ananda got upset. They went to the Buddha and requested. Oh, Noble one, it is too much. We should get reaction against him and punish’ they said ‘we cannot tolerate anymore, Oh, Noble one’’

‘Oh, disciples, worry not’’ Buddha replied kindly ‘he has not offended me because, he know nothing about me. What he knows something about me is from others that he had heard that I am an atheist. I am teaching different sorts of doctrine which is against his teaching.’’ He continued ‘Oh, Ananda, may be, he has formed some sorts of notion about me. Remember, he has not split on me but his own teaching. So, you worry not. He has not offended me’’ he took deep breath and looked towards the disciples ‘but, you all know about me very well. If you all misbehave and get reaction against him then it’s a biggest offends to me.

                                                    ‘Think deeply, oh, Bhikkhus, about it’’. The Buddha said. ‘Don’t you feel that, he has split on his own mind?’’ I am not part of his mind, so, I am not a victim of his spit but he himself is. May be he has to say something, so, he is expressing his anger this way. As we all know, one way to eradicate or uproot the arose-anger, hatred and ill-will is acting stupidly. Hitting somewhere or something, then feel relief. He has something more to say me, that’s why, I am asking him, ‘what’s next?’’

               ‘Oh, Ananda, I was offended by you’’ the Buddha said ‘because, you know me, lived with me since long time and still, you react’’

                                                                                   Puzzled mind-man went back to his home. Though, he tried to sleep at night, he could not properly. The day-experienced stood as barricade or blockade for his sleep. It was kept disturbing his mind. Though, he tried to figure out the whole incident that was happened but, he could not. He was trembling. He was body was wetted with sweat. ‘I never had come across man like Buddha, who shattered my mind and heart. He thought.  

                                                                                                                                 Early in the morning, he went to the monastery, where there, Buddha was residing with his disciples and sat one side. He approached to the Buddha’s leg and respected to him. He tried to say something but words dismayed to come out from his mouth. He looked towards the Buddha like wrongdoer or theft in front of the judges. Whenever, the Buddha did catch his soldier. The man was begun to cry. He apologized saying ‘Oh, Buddha, forgive me for what I did yesterday’’ 

                                                                                Looking at his face, Buddha said. ‘Forgive?’’ he paused for a while and said again ‘for what? What wrong, you had done?’’ he continued ‘I am not man to whom you insulted spitting on his face yesterday. Flowing Ganges is not the same. It’s change. So every human being is like a flowing Ganges. I just look like a man upon whom, you spit yesterday. In reality, I am different just like flowed water in the Ganges. So, I cannot apologize you because, you had done no mistakes. And you also are not a person, who expresses his anger splitting upon me. That man was burning with anger in mind, hatred and disgusting ill-will. You are the man, who is touching my feet with your head. How can be the same man? So, no worry. No apologizes.  


By Buddhi Chaudhary