THE BUDDHA EXPLAINS HOW TO HANDLE INSULT AND MAINTAIN COMPASSION
One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude man came up to him. “You have no right teaching others,” he shouted. “You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake.”
Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man this:
“Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?”
The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “it would belong to me, because I bought the gift.”
The Buddha smiled and said “that is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I don’t get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.”
“If you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving, instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, EVERYONE is happy.”
The young man listened closely to these wise words of the Buddha. “You are right, o Enlightened One,” he said. “Please teach me the path of love. I wish to become your follower.”
The Buddha answered kindly, “Of course. I teach anyone who truly wants to learn. Come with me.”
Thanks to Debbie (the yogi) for this message that has not one, but two great lessons on living life in a loving and compassionate way. I hope that you enjoy a peaceful Sunday filled with both…
Wow – A very simple idea that is not always simple to implement in our lives. I have been working hard for greater balance in my life(both physically and emotionally) and a big step in that is to stop taking things so personally. When my Dad yells at me (and he does, quite often) I no longer fall apart because I’ve stopped accepting his anger. I’ve stopped taking his anger personally and it’s made a huge difference in my emotional health.
How cool is it that I’ve found out this morning that I am like Buddha in this way ?
Thanks Bonni – xoxo – C
I loved your message this morning. It is so true that we must not let others govern our feelings. Carol, I also agree with you. I really try NOT to take others’ anger personally. It is a difficult lesson to apply, but in the end, it is crucial for our own well-being. So hopefully, let’s smile and the world will smile with us……..what a wonderful world that would be!
<3