After renouncing worldly life, Gautam Buddha traveled to many regions. One day, he arrived at a village.
There, a woman came to him and said, “You look like a prince. May I ask why you have chosen to wear saffron robes at such a young age?”
Buddha politely replied that he had taken renunciation to find answers to three questions.
He said, “This body, which is now youthful and attractive, will soon become old, then sick, and eventually meet death. I seek to understand the cause of old age, illness, and death.”
Impressed by Buddha’s thoughts, the woman invited him to her home for a meal. Soon, the entire village came to know about this.
Villagers came to Buddha and requested him not to go to that woman’s house, as she was considered “characterless.”
Buddha asked the village chief, “Do you also believe that this woman is of bad character?”
The chief replied, “I swear she is a woman of loose morals. Please do not go to her house.”
Buddha then held the chief’s right hand and asked him to clap.
The chief responded, “I cannot clap with one hand because my other hand is being held by you.”
Buddha said, “Exactly! Just as one hand alone cannot clap, this woman alone cannot be characterless unless the men of this village are also lacking in character.
If all the men in this village were virtuous, then this woman could not be what you claim she is.
Therefore, the men of this village are equally responsible for her so-called character.”
Moral:
Before pointing fingers at someone else, it is very important for an individual or society to look within themselves.
Always stay content—what you have is enough.
He who is joyful in heart possesses everything.