Buddha means “Awakened One” or “Enlightened One”
Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama in a Kingdom full of luxury and wealth. He had an easy life. But Buddha was moved by suffering in the outside world.
By all accounts, Buddha found enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree. He went on to become one of the great spiritual teachers.
In today’s world, we live in a situation where we are tenant by stress, ego, greed, and many other negative emotions.
Buddha’s teachings will help us to overcome this.
Here are three inspiring short stories of Gautama Buddha to help you make a better person in your life.
#1. Short Stories on Buddha – Forgiveness of Buddha
One day Buddha went to a village with his disciples. Hearing Buddha’s visit, many villagers turned out to seek his blessings.
A businessman running a business with his children was furious with Buddha.
He thought Buddha was doing something wrong by simply drawing his children and other people in the village to meditate without doing anything.
And he felt spending time just seeing Buddha, whose eyes were always closed, was a complete waste of time.
Instead, his Children should help his business to make more money.
He said, “Today, I will teach him a lesson.”
He went angrily towards Buddha. As soon as he approached Buddha, he felt some difference. But the anger in him did not dissipate.
He was speechless and was not able to express his emotions in words. He slaps Buddha’s face.
Buddha, in return, smiled back at him.
Seeing this, his disciples and the villagers were furious with the businessman.
But in Buddha’s presence, they controlled their emotions and kept quiet.
The businessman noticed that his action had not drawn any reaction from the people around him.
Then he thought, “If I continue staying here, I will explode again.”
So he walked away from that place.
He returned to his home. The image of a smiling Buddha occupied his mind.
In his life, for the first time, he met someone who controlled their emotions for a disrespectful action.
He went to sleep but could not sleep throughout the night. He was shivering.
Businessman felt that something was happening to him and the whole world turned upside down.
The next day, he went to Buddha and fell at his feet, “Please forgive me for my action.”
Buddha replied, “I cannot forgive you.”
Hearing Buddha’s reply, his disciples and villagers were shocked.
Buddha has been compassionate throughout his life and accepted everyone in his ashram regardless of their past. And now he is saying he could not excuse businessman behavior.
Sensing everyone’s shock, he explained, “Why should I excuse you when you have not done anything.”
The businessman replied, “It is me yesterday slap on your face.”
Buddha said, “That person is not here anymore. If I ever meet the person on whom you slap, I will tell him to excuse you!.
Now to the person here in this moment, you are glorious, and you have not done anything wrong.”
Moral of the story:
In life, true forgiveness is not just saying, “I forgive you!.
When we forgive a person, that person should never know. They should never feel guilty about their mistake.
Instead, if we forgive them and keep reminding them about their mistake will make them guilty. Then it is not true forgiveness.
It is a punishment.
#2. Short Stories on Buddha – Never Let Anyone Control You
Buddha and his disciples never stay in one place for a long time. Because it will be a burden to the villagers as they depend on villagers for their food.
One day Buddha went to a village he had never been to before.
He knocked on the door of one of the houses in the village with his begging bowl.
After some time, a lady came out. She became furious to see a monk with a begging bowl in his hand.
Lady started abusing Buddha, “You are looking fit enough to work. Instead, you want to have food without working”.
And she kept on abusing him. But Buddha stood still, listening without any reaction and waiting for her to finish.
She paused to catch her breath. Then she asked, “Why are you standing as stone. You can say something.”
Buddha said, “Mother if an offer has come and it is not accepted, to whom does it belong?”
Lady replied, “I offer you nothing. Just get out of my place”.
Buddha gently replied, “Mother, from the time I met you, you have been offering me whatever you have?”
The Lady realized that Buddha was referring to the abuses. She asked
“So, your question is, if the offer is not accepted, to whom does it belong.”
Buddha smiled back.
Lady realized her mistake, and she bowed to Buddha for forgiveness.
Buddha said, “As a mirror reflects an object and like a standstill, the lake reflects the sky, take care of what you speak and how you act is always good.
Every good thing you do, you will always get back goodness, and for every harm you do, you will always get back the same”.
She thanked Buddha and bought some food for him. Buddha thanked her and continued his journey.
Moral of the story:
Never let anyone take control or empower you through their anger and words. Instead, be the mirror and reflect on them. Be mindful and control your emotions.
By controlling yourself, you will never get affected by anyone. And the only person who is getting affected by the negativity in them.
And remember, whatever you give to others, you will get the same in return.
#3. Short Stories on Buddha – Law of Karma
One day while Buddha was doing meditation, a young man visited him. He looked upset.
Buddha asked him the reason.
The young man said that his father died a few months back. He could not get out of the sorrow.
But he wants to perform the best after-life rituals for his father.
So that his father’s soul would go to heaven. Irrespective of what his father has done in his life, either good or bad.
So I came to you with the request, “Please do the after-life rituals for my father so that his soul will gain entry to heaven and resides there.”
Buddha Said, “Okay, bring two earthen pots, some pebbles, and butter to fill the pots.”
The young man thought that the items for the last rituals. He went to the market and bought them.
Buddha said, “Fill one pot with pebbles and one pot with Butter and seal them. And then go and drop both the pots at the nearby pond”.
The young man did so, and both the pots sank to the bottom.
Then Buddha said, “Now break them open with a stick!”.
The young man struck hard and broke the pots. Butter from one of the pots started floating in the pond, while the pebbles from the second pot settled at the bottom.
Then Buddha said, “Well, I have done this much, Now call all your priests and ask them to pray for butter to sink and pebbles to float on the surface.”
The young man was shocked and asked, “How is it possible?.
The pebbles are heavier than water and will stay only on the bottom. Butter is lighter than water and will only float. So, doing the opposite is against the natural law”.
Buddha said, “Young man, you understand the natural law pretty well, but you forget that it applies to everyone.
In all his life, if your father performed wrong actions that were heavy like pebbles, he is bound to go down, and no one will pick him up.
If he had performed right actions that were light like butter, he should go up, and no one can push him down”.
Youngman now understood the natural law. He fell on Buddha’s feet and thanked him for teaching him the lesson.
Moral of the story:
The law of nature clearly defines us that in life, whatever we do, either good or bad, we are going to get it back, and it is the Law of Karma.
No external power can change it. While we live, we must perform only good things in our day-to-day life.
What you seed, you will reap.
We hope these short stories of Buddha must have helped you understand our life.
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