This story is from 5th century BCE, when Buddha, while he was sitting under a tree with his disciples, got spit in his face by a man. The only reaction he had, was to wipe it off and to ask: “What is next?” The man was shocked, because he did not expect such thing. He knows that when people got insulted, they usually had become angry. But Buddha was not angry, nor offended. Instead, his disciples were angry and suggested Buddha that this man should be punished. Buddha remained calm and said that the man is a stranger who does not know him, and maybe had an impression about him who made him spit. It was like that man was spitting on an image he had about Buddha, he did not spit on Buddha himself. He had spit on his own mind, because he did not know who Buddha is.
That man returned home and that night he could not sleep, haunted by this experience. In the morning, he went back to ask Buddha for forgiveness, down on his knees at Buddha’s feet. But Buddha asked him again: “what is next?” He asked again to be forgiven. Buddha said that it is nothing to be forgiven, since he is not the same man as the day before. So, what he sees with his eyes, it is a perception of what he thinks Buddha was in two different days. If you change that perception and see things differently, you are also a different person.
Therefore, according to Buddhism, people believe that things are substantial and constant, but they should be aware of their thoughts and sensations and be able to acknowledge the change.
A Buddhist will always try to engage with other people with compassion, respect and generosity.
Buddhism point of view strives to make people help themselves through deep reflection and to take control of their conscience. This is the way this perspective approaches us: through self-consciousness, according to Buddhism philosophy. This story is a parabole of looking for our inner soul and understand the fact that we are a reflection of our own actions and our own thoughts.
The most difficult connection is with our true self, but once we become conscious about it, we are in a different level of understanding. We have to be able to get detached of this so materialistic world in order to acknowledge the meaning of our existence, to get the connection with the divine, with the Universe, and ultimately with our selves. All we need to do is to open our mind’s eyes more often. Buddhism is a very interesting philosophy, more than a religion.
Express Yourself 