One day a man came to Buddha and spat in his face. Buddha wiped his face and asked:
- Is that all, or do you want something else?
Ananda saw everything and naturally became furious. He jumped up and, seething with anger, exclaimed:
“Teacher, just let me and I’ll show him!” He needs to be punished!
“Ananda, you have become a sannyasin, but you constantly forget about it,” replied the Buddha. “This poor guy has suffered too much already.” Just look at his face, his bloodshot eyes! Surely he did not sleep all night and was tormented before deciding to do such an act. Spitting on me is the outcome of this madness. It can be liberating! Be compassionate to him. You can kill him and become as mad as he is!
The man heard the entire dialogue. He was confused and puzzled. Buddha's reaction was a complete surprise to him. He wanted to humiliate and insult Buddha, but having failed, he felt humiliated. It was so unexpected - the love and compassion shown by the Buddha! Buddha told him:
- Go home and rest. You don't look good. You've punished yourself enough already. Forget about this incident; it didn't harm me. This body is made of dust. Sooner or later it will turn to dust and people will walk on it. They will spit on him; many transformations will happen to him.
The man cried, got up tiredly and left.
In the evening he came back, fell at the feet of Buddha and said:
- Forgive me!
Buddha said:
“There is no question of me forgiving you, because I was not angry.” I didn't judge you. But I am happy, immensely happy to see that you have come to your senses and that the hell you were in has stopped. Go in peace and never plunge into such a state again!
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru