Once Buddha traveled through the country of King Prasenjita and discovered a hidden treasure in the ground, which was full of jewelry. Buddha asked Ananda:
- Do you see that this is a poisonous snake?
Ananda replied:
- I see.
And at this time, someone who was following the Buddha, hearing these words, decided to come and look. He saw that these were treasures, and ignored the words of the Buddha, considering them an empty phrase: after all, in fact, these are jewelry, and he calls them a poisonous snake! And then this man secretly called his household and took away the treasures.
His family became rich, but soon a man was found who told the king that the recovered treasure had not been handed over to the authorities. The king ordered the finder to be seized. He swore that he had already given everything, but the king did not believe it.
The poor fellow experienced the poisons of all suffering, but never said anything. The king was angry and wanted to punish the seven tribes of his family. When he was taken to execution, the king sent a servant to find out what he would say on the way. The convict said:
“Buddha said it right, this is truly a poisonous snake.”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru