Gautum Buddha was sitting
under a banyan tree. One day, a furious Brahmin came to him and started
abusing him.
The Brahmin thought that
Gautum Buddha would reciprocate in the same manner, but to his utter
surprise, there was not the slightest change in the expression on his face.
Now, the Brahmin became
more furious. He hurled more and more abuses at Buddha. However, Gautum
Buddha was completely unmoved. Actually there was a look of compassion on
his face. Ultimately the Brahmin was tired of abusing him. He asked, "I have
been abusing you like anything, but why are you not angry at all ?"
Gautum Buddha calmly
replied, "My dear brother, I have not accepted a single abuse from you."
"But you heard all of
them, didn't you?" The Brahmin argued half-heartedly.
Buddha said, "I do not
need the abuses, so why should I even hear them?"
Now the Brahmin was even
more puzzled. He could not understand the calm reply from Gautum Buddha.
Looking at his disturbed
face, Buddha further explained, "All those abuses remain with you."
"It cannot be possible. I
have hurled all of them at you," the Brahmin persisted.
Buddha calmly repeated
his reply, "But I have not accepted even a single abuse from you! Dear
brother, suppose you give some coins to somebody, and if he does not accept
them, with whom will those coins remain?"
The Brahmin replied, "If
I have given the coins and not needed by someone, then naturally they would
remain with me."
With a meaningful smile
on his face, Buddha said, "Now you are right. The same has happened with
your abuses. You came here and hurled abuses at me, but I have not accepted
a single abuse from you. Hence, all those abuses remain with you only. So
there is no reason to be angry with you."
The Brahmin remained
speechless. He was ashamed of his behavior and begged for Buddha's
forgiveness.
