One day Lord Buddha was passing through a village when the villagers requested him to help them. They said, "O Lord, there lives a snake outside the village which is so poisonous that it keeps killing villagers and our cattle. Please help us by taming it."
So Lord Buddha went over to that snake and told it," O mighty snake, why waste your poison on the poor villagers and their cattle. Why give them suffereing and invite God's wrath for yourself. Be a humble servant of God and don't bite the people and their cattle or any other animal again."
The snake after being given the wisdom, bowed at the feet of Buddha and went back into its hole.
Weeks later when Lord Buddha was passing by the same village again, he suddenly had the curiosity to know about that snake. So he went to that hole again and called out for the snake.
After a long time a weak, brutally beaten and bruised and badly injured snake crawled out of the hole. Looking at it Lord Buddha couldn't understand why it was in such a bad condition. On being asked the snake replied, "O lord after you sermoned me I didn't bit or showed my anger to anyone. But the villagers and the kids started to trample over me. They beat me with sticks but I never bit them back, as you told me. So this condition of mine is the outcome of waht you taught me to do."
Hearing this Lord Buddha said, "I asked you not to bite someone, but you could have easily drove them away by showing your fangs. I never said, don't defend yourself. Biting is prohibited, not hissing."
Same is the case with me. I don't hit people, i don't get angray easily and I accept others views too. But people take this as my weakness and try to trample over me. I think I just had enough of it.
So Lord Buddha went over to that snake and told it," O mighty snake, why waste your poison on the poor villagers and their cattle. Why give them suffereing and invite God's wrath for yourself. Be a humble servant of God and don't bite the people and their cattle or any other animal again."
The snake after being given the wisdom, bowed at the feet of Buddha and went back into its hole.
Weeks later when Lord Buddha was passing by the same village again, he suddenly had the curiosity to know about that snake. So he went to that hole again and called out for the snake.
After a long time a weak, brutally beaten and bruised and badly injured snake crawled out of the hole. Looking at it Lord Buddha couldn't understand why it was in such a bad condition. On being asked the snake replied, "O lord after you sermoned me I didn't bit or showed my anger to anyone. But the villagers and the kids started to trample over me. They beat me with sticks but I never bit them back, as you told me. So this condition of mine is the outcome of waht you taught me to do."
Hearing this Lord Buddha said, "I asked you not to bite someone, but you could have easily drove them away by showing your fangs. I never said, don't defend yourself. Biting is prohibited, not hissing."
Same is the case with me. I don't hit people, i don't get angray easily and I accept others views too. But people take this as my weakness and try to trample over me. I think I just had enough of it.
