Today is the Buddha’s Birthday. So I’m going to do a bonus episode, where we’ll learn the connection between a water filtration method and anger management!
Our story begins in a forest. Not a dark forest like many we have encountered, but the normal wilderness in between villages in ancient India. If you had to travel from one village to the next, you had to go through just such a forest.
Now on this fine Summer day, that is exactly what the Buddha was doing. He was walking from one village to another.
He and one of his followers had just had lunch at the hut of an old lady. Unfortunately for the Buddha, he was uncomfortable. The food that he’d had wasn’t agreeing with him. Yeah, even holy people and gods get food poisoning. He had to stop to rest.
His follower, Anand, had a better metabolism, or maybe he’d just had less of the chili. Anyway, Anand was fine though the Buddha wasn’t.
The Buddha asked Anand for a drink. Of water.
Anand, who couldn’t bear to see his guru suffer hopped to it.
He wandered in the direction where he heard something. It was a pond! A perfect source of drinking water! Except this was the worst source of drinking water!
Bullock carts were crossing the pond right in the middle.
As you can imagine, the wheels of the carts and the hooves of the cattle were not clean going into the pond, but they were a bit cleaner coming out. And it wasn’t just one cart or two, it was a caravan! It was almost a highway.
As if that wasn’t enough, a couple of people were also washing their clothes in the water.
This was the kind of water that is cautioned against in water hygenie posters. You know, the kind where they ask you to imagine the number of germs in a drop of water?
Anand couldn’t possibly take this to the Buddha. This was almost certainly going to make him even sicker. So he went back empty-handed.
He explained his reasons to the Buddha. The Buddha said nothing. They waited there for about half an hour, and then the Buddha asked Anand for water again.
“I’ll go look for another source,” said Anand
“No. Get me water from the same pond” replied the Buddha
Anand was puzzled but he didn’t for a minute doubt the Buddha’s wisdom. He went back! The carts had long passed and the other two people were done with their laundry.
And miracle of miracles! The water was so clear that Anand had no hesitation in filling up his S’well and rushing back to the Buddha.
Anand handed him the bottle and hastily explained what he had seen. “Did you work that miracle?” he asked the Buddha
“No, I’m not a miracle-worker. Just think for yourself – its plain logic. The pond was muddy. But as the carts passed and the laundry was done, the mud settled at the bottom. It’s a little scientific principle that I like to call “Decantation”
“That’s brilliant” said Anand. “And what’s the link to Anger Management?” He asked
“What are you talking about?” asked the Buddha.
“That’s how Narada Muni introduced the show. He promised a link between Water Filtration and Anger Management”
“Oh that is easy,” said the Buddha. “When you’re angry your mind is all riled up and everything looks muddy – just like the pond. The way to manage your anger is to wait it out. When the muddy bits settle at the bottom your mind will be clear and you’ll be at peace”
That’s all for now.
Notes
What I admire the most is that most of his own personal stories, as well as the Jataka tales, teach people to be content. The Buddha is often regarded as the 9th avatar of Vishnu. But unlike those other avatars that preceded him – he does not have superhuman powers. He’s just a person with infinite wisdom.
This tale has a mild similarity with the tale of the dying King Arthur who asked his faithful servant to toss the mighty Excalibur into a lake. The servant hesitated and Arthur made him go again and that led to a better result.
Buddha’s origin story is a remarkable one. I’ll cover it in a future episode.
Some links
Anand
Buddha artwork
Indonesian Buddha artwork
Buddha sculpture
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That’s all for this week.
Next Episode
This weekend we’ll pick up where we left off in the Ramayana. We’ll see a Nanny who executes a very House of Cards-style political move. We’ll also see a father conflicted between his love for his wife and his love for his son.
The character is an elephant that manages to survive a crocodile attack, thanks to some divine intervention.
I’ll see you this weekend!