The Buffalo Story

Once the Buddha was walking with his disciples. He wanted some water and there was a pond, but just then a buffalo entered the pond and stirred up the mud so that the clean water became muddy water.

The Buddha still wanted some water from the pond, but his disciples protested that it had become dirty.They suggested waiting till they came to some other pond nearby. The Buddha smiled at them and kept walking.

When they found no other pond nearby, the Buddha said: ‘Go back and get the water from the same pond’. The disciples said: ‘No, it’s dirty’. The Buddha then said: ‘Go check’.

When the disciples went back, the water had settled and they could take some of the water to the Buddha. When the water was taken in a cup, it settled down even further and clear water was on the top. The Buddha then said: ‘The mind is like this. If the mind is agitated, wait for a while, it will settle.Leave the mind be for a little while and it will settle down. It cannot be disturbed forever. All these disturbances are momentary. So do nothing , just give the mind a little time, wait, and it will settle.

And it’s the same with everything in life, sometimes you have to learn to be with it and allow it to settle. If you are in a hurry for the water in the pond to settle, it won’t settle, it will get dirtier.