Buddha and the Beggar

Once a beggar was upset with his life because he had to beg to run his life. He had to beg for everything. He would remain unhappy about this and thought about how his life would change? Thinking that he would be disappointed.

Every day he would see that many frustrated people, people with tears in their eyes and troubled by various worries were going towards Gautama Buddha and they were very happy while returning. That beggar could not understand what Gautama Buddha used to do to them so that they would become very happy? While returning there was neither a lot of money in the hands of the people nor gold and silver, then what happened that people were so happy while returning from Buddha?

Thinking all this, the beggar also decided that he too will go to Mahatma Buddha and see what is happening there that unhappy people go to him and become happy?

He walked to meet Buddha. Where Buddha was present, there was a very long queue, so that beggar also got in the queue. He started waiting in the queue for his turn. His turn came and he reached near Buddha.

He said to Buddha, “Buddha I am very poor. I have nothing. I have to beg others even to run my life. Now you tell me that how can I live my life and how can I do it better? “

On hearing all this the Buddha said, “You are not poor. You think so because till date you have never done anything for anyone. Neither have you ever donated anything to anyone. Nor have you done anything for others.”

Hearing all this, the beggar was in dilemma. To allay his confusion, the beggar asked, “I am a beggar. How can I donate to people and help people? I have to ask others to run my own life.”

After hearing all this, Gautam Buddha kept quiet for a while and then said to him, “You have a hand with which you can serve people and do good to others. Also you have a mouth so that you say good things and encourage others. You can help others by doing all this. It is not necessary that donations be made only with money. We can also donate education if we want. If the God has given someone a perfectly good body, then he is not poor. He is simply poor in mind. He should move away from this thought and serve others. “

After listening to all these things of Buddha, that beggar became very happy and his mind was satisfied now.

This is one of the stories Head Nun is fond of telling us.  The moral of the story is that we waste time thinking how "poor" we are.  We may not be rich in a material sense but we have hands to serve, tongue to console, and so on. As long as we have a healthy body, we are not "poor" and can be of benefit to society in many ways. 

Hope you liked the story!

With Metta,

Da