One day, when the Buddha and his disciples were resting in the shady cool of the trees, a courtesan approached him. As soon as she saw the Divine face, shining with heavenly beauty, she fell in love with him and in ecstasy, with open arms, loudly exclaimed:
- Oh, beautiful, shining, I love you!
The celibate disciples were very surprised to hear the Buddha say to the courtesan:
“I love you too, but, my love, please don’t touch me now.”
The courtesan asked:
“You call me beloved, and I love you, why do you forbid me to touch you?”
The Great Master replied:
- Darling, I repeat that now is not the time, I will come to you later. I want to test my love!
The students thought: “Did the Teacher really fall in love with a courtesan?”
A few years later, while the Buddha was meditating with his disciples, he suddenly exclaimed:
“I need to go, the woman I love is calling me, now she really needs me.”
The disciples ran after the Buddha, who, it seemed to them, was in love with the courtesan and ran to meet her. All together they arrived at the tree where they met the courtesan several years ago. She was there. Her once beautiful body was covered in sores. The disciples stopped in confusion, and the Buddha took her emaciated body in his arms and carried her to the hospital, telling her:
- Darling, so I came to test my love for you and fulfill my promise. I have waited a long time for the opportunity to show my true love for you, for I love you when everyone else has stopped loving you, I hug you when all your friends do not want to touch you.
After being cured, the courtesan joined the Buddha's disciples.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru