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patience

patience

Chinese tale
Translated by: Bajram Karabolli

The Buddha and his disciples undertook a journey traversing different territories and cities. One day when the sun was shining and the heat was increasing, they, thirsty for water, suddenly see a pool of water somewhere ahead. Then they stop under the shade of a tree and the Buddha says to the youngest and most impatient disciple:

– Can you go and bring us some water from that pond over there?


The disciple immediately sets out for the pond, but on reaching there, a cart drawn by two bulls enters the pond and the water becomes so cloudy that it cannot be drunk. Under these circumstances, the disciple thinks that he could not pour that water mixed with mud to the Buddha, because it could not be drunk. So he turns and says to the Buddha:

- The water was muddied by two oxen with a cart and it became all mud. That's why I didn't get a drop of it. I don't think we can drink it, sir.

The Buddha does not say anything, but after a few minutes he again tells the disciple to go to the lake and bring water for them to drink. And the disciple goes again. But you see that the pond was still cloudy and could not be drunk. So he turns and with complete conviction says to the Buddha:

– Sir, the water continues to be cloudy and muddy. That water is not drinkable, it is better to walk and when we arrive in the city, for sure, the inhabitants will give us water to drink.

The Buddha did not answer him and again, after waiting a few more minutes, he tells that same young disciple to go to the pond and bring them water. The disciple, although convinced that the water was still cloudy and undrinkable, not wanting to talk back to his teacher, went to the pool of water again.

When he arrives there, he notices that the waters of the pond had changed its appearance: it was now calm and crystal clear. Then he fills the gourd with water and takes it to the Buddha, who, before drinking, looks at the drained water and says to the young disciple:

– What did you do to him? How did you manage to clean the water?

The disciple who had not done anything to the water remains somewhat confused and was not answering

Then the Buddha looks at him with all kindness and explains:

- Of course, you didn't do anything to him. Just wait and let it be. But, little by little, the mud itself fell into its place, at the bottom of the water. And now we have clean water. Even the human mind is like the work of water. Man, when bored, becomes confused. Therefore, you should leave him alone. You have to give it some time, so that the anger, like mud, falls down and the human mind is drained. We should not be impatient with the angry person. On the contrary, we must have patience. The human mind, in a little quiet time, will find the right balance itself. We should not try to appease the angry man. Everything will happen by itself, so let's hold back and give it some time.