Better
to act than to talk
One day, a follower who was always with the Buddha suddenly exclaimed:" Buddha! You are the greatest teacher ever!"
The Buddha showed no sign of delight, but asked the follower:" Have you seen all the great teachers of the world?"
" Of course not." He replied.
" Then do you know all of the teachers of the present and the future?"
" I do not know them." The follower replied.
" Then, your assertion that I am the greatest teacher of all is meaningless, because there is no way for you to know if it is true."
" I only wanted to extol your excellent teaching." The follower explained.
The Buddha said:" If you really think that my teaching is beneficial, you should practise what I teach. This would make me happier than your words of praise."
The Buddha then asked another of his followers:" Would you pay for some gold you want to buy without testing if the gold is real?"
" Of course not.What a waste of money if it is not." The follower replied.
" This is exactly what I teach." The Buddha carried on:" Do not think that what I teach must be right and true.Test it for yourself to find out. Practise it only if you find it useful. Do not do it out of respect for me. You should also not be critical of others' teaching because there are many other teachers in this world who have different methods to help people.Therefore, do not have contempt for them as you have no deep understanding of other people's teachings. Your concern is to let yourself be liberated from afflictions and help others to do it as well."
Having heard this, the followers became less emotive and more objective in their approach to people and things.
