Buddha was once asked: “Is there a God?” He replied: “Yes!” That same day another man asked him, “Does God exist?” And Buddha answered: “No!” Towards the evening of the same day, a third person asked Buddha about the existence of God, and Buddha remained silent in response, only raising his index finger up.
His disciple Ananda saw all this. At night he asked Buddha:
- I can't sleep. Please answer, why did you give three different answers to the same question?
Buddha replied:
— The questioners were different. The first one believed that there was no God, and he really wanted me to strengthen his faith. I answered him: “God exists!” Because a person can come to the Truth only by freeing himself from what he believes. Another man believed that there was a God. He also really wanted to receive confirmation of the truth of his faith. I answered him that God does not exist. I am here to destroy all faith so that the mind can soar above it and enter into the Truth. The third person was neither a believer nor an atheist, so no “yes” or “no” was needed. And I remained silent, saying this: “Do as I do, just plunge into silence, and then you will find out!”
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru