Dearest Darling Friends,

Buddha was insulted by people many times. Stones are thrown at him, people abused him… he just smiled.

Once, a group of people with great hostility came to him.

He told them, ”I feel sorry for you. You are almost in a rage! You must be burning within. I feel sorry for you. What can I do for you to help? How can I calm you down? You are in emotional fever!”

He does not say anything about himself. He is not saying, ”You are being hostile to me.”

He is not saying, ”Why are you hostile to me?”

He is not saying anything in reference to himself.

Someone asked, ”We are being hostile to you, and you are feeling sorry for us? We are enemies! We want to uproot you and your doctrine completely. Why are you feeling sorry for us?”

Buddha replied, ”Yes. You are hostile from your side. However, you can throw a burning torch into the river – it remains fire TILL it touches the river. The moment it touches the river, it cools down. I am that river. You throw fire at me – it remains fire from your side, but the moment it touches me it becomes cool. It disappears! I am not hurt, you cannot hurt me– because the one who used to be hurt is no more inside me. That ego is gone.”

As I read this anecdote from Buddha’s life, I am wonderstruck at his clarity of thoughts and his wisdom.

What a brilliant metaphor about the burning torch and river water !!!

I also wonder, what does it take to be that river?

Any thoughts….?

With love, prayers and best wishes,