Stories about Buddha
2 Buddhist wisdom stories about Buddha from Buddhist teachers, each linked to the original talk.
- Lying down for the benefit of all beingsStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: The Buddha takes an afternoon nap, and Māra taunts him: you're no real monk — lazy, sleeping while others work to feed you. The Buddha replies: “I'm lying down for the happiness…
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where one day the Buddha took a nap in the afternoon and then this being called Mara called him out I've caught you out you're not a real monk you're lazy look all these other people have to work hard feeding you they're not sleeping during the middle of the day you lazy monk he said what are you doing that for why are you sleeping and the Buddha replied I'm laying down for the happiness and benefit of all sentient beings
- “What if they kill you?” — the monk bound for a rough countryStory · Ajahn Brahm
In brief: A monk tells the Buddha he wants to take the Dhamma to a faraway country. The Buddha warns that its people are coarse and violent: what if they abuse you? “At least they'd feed…
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There was a monk who went up to the Buddha in that old time and he said, "I want to go to this country a long way away, you know, to spread the dharma, to to build up some Buddhism and to help people in this far away country, just like I was coming to Australia." And the Buddhist said to this monk, "Oh, that particular country, you know, it's very rough. People are very coarse and very violent in that country." And I'm not saying Australia is like that, but people laughed when I made that comparison in Thailand. And the Buddha said, "What would happen, you know, if you went to that country and people talk badly about you and they cursed you?" And he thought, "Well, you know, at least they would feed me." And then the Buddha said, "What if they don't feed you?" He said, "Well, at least they don't hit me, but what if they hit you?" Well, it's only a, you know, a a fist. It's not as if they stab me with daggers. What if there's dagger with daggers and swords? Well, at least they don't kill me. But what if they kill you? Well, it just means I go to heaven quicker. And the Buddha said, "Now that's a real monk. You can go.