Once lived an extraordinary water buffalo king. He was solemn, compassionate, and guided by a strong sense of morality. Because of these fine characteristics, the king was respected and honored by his fellow water buffaloes. He led his herd one day, to graze on the plentiful grass that grew by the riverbank. When they saw how spacious and lush the area was, they decided to make it their home.
Next to the river, however, lived a macaque monkey, who on occasion came down to observe the buffalo herd. Seeing the water buffalo king, with his extraordinary character, serene nature, and thousands of followers, the monkey became deeply envious. He began shouting verbal abuse and even hurling stones at the king. “You get out of here! This is my territory! Take your herd and get out!” cried the monkey. But despite this hostility, the buffalo king neither retaliated nor felt anger in his heart. Calmly observing the monkey, he took everything in stride.
A short time later, another group of buffalos came to the river. As before, the monkey insulted them and threw rocks. But having seen the tolerance and equanimity displayed by their king, the buffalo were filled with respect and followed his example. They left quietly with the herd, their minds free of anger.
Not far behind, a young water buffalo had strayed from the others and was anxiously trying to catch up. He heard the monkey’s abuse, saw him throwing rocks, and became filled with indignation. He wanted to fight back, but thought, “My elders could remain calm and undisturbed and refrain from harming their attacker. I should follow their example and just ignore this evil monkey.” So the young buffalo paid no attention and hurried on his way.
After walking a short distance, the king passed a grove of trees. There lived a tree god who asked the king, “I saw that monkey disrespecting you, cursing and throwing stones. With your great strength, you could have easily dealt with him. Why didn’t you fight back?” The king said, “Everything in this world is subject to cause and effect. The monkey shouted at me, and he will attack other animals the same way. When the fruits of these bad deeds ripen one day, he must face the consequences. Seeing him so ignorant of causality and constantly performing evil, how could I not have compassion for him? How could I have possibly hurt him?” He continued, “Furthermore, if I retaliated, I would have surely taken his life and be subject to karmic retribution myself in the future. Where is the good in that? Practicing tolerance and maintaining self-control is truly the best way to protect yourself and others.”
The water buffalo king was a past incarnation of Shakyamuni Buddha. Because he diligently practiced patience, tolerance, and compassion, he was able to keep his mind calm and undisturbed in difficult situations, eventually reaching complete enlightenment to become a buddha.
REFLECTION
Patience and tolerance are antidotes to the poison of anger lurking in our hearts. When others see us practicing tolerance in difficult situations, they will be positively influenced by virtue of our example. Not only do we create good karma, but deepen our concentration and wisdom while forming positive affinity with others. In this inconspicuous way, we are practicing the bodhisattva path.