Story has it, that Buddha was giving a lecture in the mountains. People would gather and listen. Some were into Buddha, some weren’t.
A participant that wasn’t so fond of Buddha came on hard the first day of the lectures. He opposed Buddha in any way possible, got angry and agitated and Buddha didn’t answer his attacks. He just smiled back.
The second day this scenario took place again. The man came on to Buddha from every angle, attacking, accusing Buddha in every way possible of being a fraud and discarded every word that came out of Buddha’s mouth. Buddha smiled…
The third and final day the attacks got real nasty. More people joined in and it got so loud that Buddha looked at the man, now leading an angry crowd and said:
– What can I do for you?
– What you can do for me? I think your teaching is bullocks. I have been going on for three days now. You haven’t answered my criticism. In fact you only smiled and that has gotten me real mad. I don’t like your teachings, I don’t like you and everything you stand for, and your response seems to prove my point. Why don’t you react?
Buddha looks at him and says:
– If someone offers you a gift and you don’t accept it, who really has that gift?
© 2016 Soren Dreier
