A Beautiful Lesson in Forgiveness From the Buddha

Most people are easily offended and assume the rude behavior of others, without realizing that each person has a story behind them and that not everyone is aware of the healing power of goodness.

But not all people are like that, and as proof, we want to tell a story from the Buddha's life with a wonderful lesson in forgiveness.

The lesson of forgiveness

The Buddha once sat under a tree, talking to his disciples. Suddenly, a stranger approached them and spat in his face. The Buddha wiped his face with his hand and asked the man, "And now what? What will you say after that? "

The stranger was a little puzzled because he didn't think that when you spit in front of a person, he would ask you what would happen next. He had not received such reactions before. Usually, the people he offended were angry and answered with the same coin. Or, if the victims were weak or cowardly, they would smile and that's it. But not the Buddha. He wasn't upset, he wasn't offended, and he didn't act like a coward.

The sage asked a simple question: "What's next?" There was no reaction from him.

What's next?

The Buddha's disciples became angry and reacted to what had happened. Ananda's disciple said, "You can't stand this in silence. He must be punished for what he has done, otherwise, everyone will do what he wants!"

The Buddha said, "Keep calm. He didn't insult me. He's just a stranger. He's probably heard rumors about me, and he's an unbeliever - a dangerous man who was sweeping everyone in his path. He probably had some kind of idea or formed a certain idea. That's why he didn't spit on me, but spit my projection out of his head. If we knew each other better, he would never do that again. "

The Buddha continued: "I see clearly that this poor man has something to say because his action says a lot. Spitting is his way of speaking. There are times when language can't help. This applies to love relationships, outbursts of anger, hatred, prayer.

All of these are powerful moments when human speech is powerless. Then people have to do something. When you are angry or angry, you hit a person, you spit on him. This is understandable. He must have something to say, so I asked him what would happen next. "

Rooted beliefs

The frightened man went home. He couldn't sleep all night. He constantly remembered the events of that day. It was hard for him to understand what happened. He's never met anyone like him. The Buddha enlightened his mind and his whole vision of the world.

In the morning, he came to the Buddha again. But this time, the man rushed to the Buddha's feet.

The Buddha repeated the question, "And now what follows? Your action is another way of saying things you can't say in your normal language. Falling at my feet, you say something you can't say out loud, something for which there aren't enough words because I'm not able to convey the full meaning."

Then the sage turned to his disciple: "Ananda, this man is here again and he wants to tell me something. Strong emotions overwhelm him. "

We are all a river

The man looked at the teacher and said, "I came to apologize for yesterday."

The Buddha was surprised: "Excuse me? But you didn't come to me yesterday. The river never stops flowing and is therefore constantly changing. People are a river too. The man you spat on is no longer here. On the outside, we look like that, but I'm not him. Many things have happened in the last 24 hours!

The river has a fast current. I will not forgive you, for you have done me no harm. Also, you're different, you're not from yesterday. You were angry and you spat, and today you bent at my feet. How can you be the same person? That man - the one who spat - has disappeared. Come closer. I intend to talk about something else. "

Do not judge

It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. However, the lesson it teaches itself is incredibly eloquent and important. This story reminds us that no one is perfect, that we all change and develop, following the path of spiritual growth.

Therefore, do not make hasty conclusions about other people and do not take everything personally…