Thursday, May 3, 2012

One of my favorite Buddha stories

The following story about the Buddha is so short, it could almost be categorized as a quotation. But it is one of my favorite stories, and so I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

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Soon after the Buddha's enlightenment, a young Brahman traveling down the road came upon the Buddha. Impressed by his radiance and peaceful presence, the young man stopped and spoke to the Buddha. 

He asked the Buddha, "Are you a god?"
"No", answered the Buddha.
"Are you a saint?"
"No", Buddha replied.
"Then are you a teacher?" the Brahman persisted.
"No,  I am not a teacher."
"Then what are you?!" asked the young Brahman, exasperated. 

"I am awake", Buddha replied. 

*****
I hope you enjoyed that. There are several versions of this story, this one is abbreviated and uses English words. The original story is from the Dona Sutta, which can be found here.

Early into my studies of Buddhism, I was surprised to learn that 'Buddha' is not a name, but a title. It is derived from the Sanskrit root Budh, to 'know' or 'wake', and means 'one who is awake'. For more information about the derivation of Budh, and other Sanskrit root verbs and grammar, please click here.  

May all beings be happy!

6 comments:

  1. Hello Renata,
    This story I've read before, and I absolutely love it! Thank you so much for posting this!

    Also I thank you for sharing that link with me as well.

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    1. You're very welcome, Lon! I love this story and think of it often- I know the first time I read it, it stopped me in my tracks! Glad you liked the link, too!

      May you be well!

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  2. Renata, this is a great story. It reminds me of the famous Buddha quote: "Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.". Thanks for posting!

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    1. Thanks, Dan, for commenting. I am glad you liked this story :)

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  3. That's one of my favorites too!

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    1. Thanks, Eline! I am so glad that I was able to post something that was relevant and that others enjoy too!

      May you be well!

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Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by and leave a comment! If you enjoyed this post, please share with others. -With Metta, Renata