The Buddha was a Greast Story Teller and a Creator of Verbal Images

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From Buddhist Encyclopedia

• From a chapter in the book - The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived by Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thero

The Buddha never uttered a word that the listeners could not understand. He spoke in an idiom that everybody could appreciate.

When he addressed cultivators, he used similes and metaphors relating to the field, the field ridge, paddy, rice, empties, goad, pluogh, sinnosing-fan, oxen, cowherds carts, grain and water. On one occasion the Buddha was residing in the Brahmin village of ekanala in the province of dakkhina giri in Magadha countrey. One morning, the Buddha went to the site where the Brahmin named Kasibharadvaja was ploughing the fields with about five-hundred ploughs. The Buddha went for alms to the place where the Brahmin and his people were taking their meals. The Brahmin spoke to the Buddha:

"O Ascetic Gotama, as for me I plough the field, sow seeds, get a yield of grains and eat. You too must plogh, sow, get a yield, and eat."

Then the Buddha replied:

"I too plough, I sow and obtain a yield, and eat."

The Brahmin said:

"You say that you plough, sow, and eat the yield. But I have never seen your plough or goad or oxen."

The Buddha replied:

" in my form of cultivation the seed paddy is devotion. Morality is the rain-water. My Insight Knowledge and my Knowledge of the Path are my plough. Sease of shame is the head of my plough. Mind is the plough-share. My concentration is the goad."

• Saddha bijam tapo vutthi
• Panna me yuganamgalam
• Hiri isa mano yottam
• Sati me phalapavanam.

Kasibharadvaja Sutta

He made it clear to the Brahmin that he, too, was a kind of cultivator. He preached the Dpoctrine to the Brahmin. After listening to the Buddha he became a monk. Later, he attained Arahanthood. Even when preaching to the monks, the Buddha made use of similes and metaphors from cultivation

" Tinimani bhikkhave kassa kassa Gahapatissa pubbe karaniyani. Katamani tine idha bhikkave kassako gahapati patigacceva khettam sukattham karotva Sumati katam kalena bijani patitthapeti. Kalena bijani patitthapetva samayena udakam abhinetipi apancitipi imani kho bhikkhave tini kassakassa gahapatissa pubbe karaniyani."

"O Monks, there are three preliminary tasks a cultivator must do. Firstly, he must smoothen the field. Secondly, he must sow the seeds in time. thirdly, after sowing he must provide water in time; must drain out the water in time. These are the three preliminary tasks that the cultivator should perform."

When the Buddha preached to kings, he would quote instances, metaphors, stories and images about tyrannical rule, wars, battles, victories and conquests, anger, revenge, greed, etc. (" Jayam veram pasavati - victory brings hatred")

When he explained the Doctrine to Brahmins he would point out the futility of pride, caste-prestige, and sacrificial offerings and rituals. He would establish that one does not become a Brahmin by birth, and that one becomes a true Brahmin only by deeds. Thi way, he attacked their false views. These similies are found in such Discourses as alagaddupama vatthupama, Cula Sihanada, Maha Sihanada, Madhupindika, Kakacupama Vammika, Culla Hatthipadopama, Maha Hatthipadopama, Maha Saropama, Cula Saropama and rathavinita. There are thousands of such similes and metaphors in the Tipitaka.

Such four-footed animals as lions, elephants, horses, leopards, wolves, unicorns, dogs, oxen, deer, jackals occur in the Buddha's similes and metaphors. Of reptiles the cobra and the boa, of birds vultures, hawks, eagles, peacocks, swans, cranes, sand-pipers, cuckoos, parrots, and of insects bees, ants and white-ants, are referred to in the Buddha's similes and metaphors.

He refers to such forms of trees as mango, sala, palm trees, banyan trees, fig trees, bamboo and sugar-cane. He makes reference to such fruits as mango and nelli, and to such varieties of seeds as paddy, mustard, sesame. Off flowers he refers to lotus varieties. Such precious metals as gold and silver are referred to. He talks also of pearls and gems, as well.

Among the rivers he refers to are Ganga, Yamuna and Aciravati. He refers to the ocean, too. Maha meru and the Himalayas are the hills he refers to. The sun and the moon, stars, sky clouds, ponds, rain, peaks, parks, pastures, sandy stretches, lakes, flood, fords, banks, waves, ships and rafts also occur in the Buddha's images.

When he preached to the monks he would very often talk about the advantages of virtuous Bhikkhu life and the ill-effects of unvirtuous life of a monk. He has narrated five-hundred-and fifty tales about his past births. These are described as Jataka Tales (Birth Stories). These tales have become part of world literature.

One of the Buddha's epithets is ' Loka Vidu' which implies the the individual who knows the world well. There is no one who knew the world and the lives of human beings as much as the Buddha did. Another epither for the Buddha is 'Sabbannu' . This means the all-knowing One. He knew everything that a Buddha should know. He knew much. But he expressed to us only very little of what he knew.

Once, he was travelling through Simsapa forest with Ven. Ananda, He picked up up a handful of those leaves from the ground and asked Ven. Ananda.:

"What is bigger, the quantity of leaves in my hand, or the leaves of the same kind in this great forest?" "The quantity of the forest is about a thousand times bigger."

Ven. Ananda replied.

"All that I have preached to you so far is like the quantity of leaves in my hand. But the quantity I have not preached is as large as the leaves in this great forest."

Once, a horse-trainer named Kesa came to see him and stood on a side. The Buddha asked him:

" Kesi, you are en expert in the training of horses. What i the first thing you do to train an untamed horse?"

"O Sirs, firstly, I train the horse softly. At times, I train horses harshly, too. At times, I train a horse both softly and harshly."

" Kesi, if you cannot train the horse in all three ways what would you do?" "O Sir, if I cannot train it in any one of those methods, I will kill it so that my tradition of training will not get a blemish."

Next, Kesi put a question to the Buddha.

"Sir, I am described as " assadamma sarathi " - expert in training horses. In the same way you are described as ' purisa damma sarathi ' - the expert in the training of men. I described to you now, how I tame horses. Could you please tell me how you train men?"

The Buddha said:

" Kesi, I too train them with soft kind words. I train them in harsh ways, too. I train them softly by telling them: "This is virtuous odily practice. This is the result of virtuous bodily practice. This is correct verbal behaviour. These are the results of correct verbal behaviour. This is right mental behaviour. This is the result of such good mental behaviour. "Deities are like this. Human beings are this. I train them mildly by explaining things in that way.

"I tame men harshly by telling them this: "This is evil bodily behaviour.These are its ill-effects. This is evil verbal behaviour. These are its ill-effects. This is bad mental behaviour. These are the evil results of that kind of behaviour. This is the nature of the evil state (hell). This is the nature of the animal state. This is the nature of the ghost-spirits.' I train them, at times mixing these two methods - kind methods and harsh methods. It is this way.

"I tell them thus: "This is evil bodily behaviour. These are its ill-effects. This is virtuous bodily behaviour. These are its good effects. This is good verbal behaviour. These are its good results. This is bad verbal behaviour. It has these bad effects. This is good mental behavour. These are its pleasant results. This is evil mental behaviour. These are its ill-effects. This is how I train them using both kind and harsh methods."

"O Sir, if you cannot train someone using all these three methods, what will you do?"

The Buddha said:

"I will kill him. " Kesi asked him: " Sir, isn't it unseemly for Buddhas to kill? They must not kill, isn't it, Sir?" "Yes, that is true, Kesi. If I cannot train him in all those three methods, I will refrain from instructing him from advising him. I will give him up as a person who should not be advised or instructed. Those other wise friends of his will also give him up as a person who cannot be corrected. Setting aside a person. refraining from advising him both by myself and my disciples, is, in terms of the code of the Discipline of the Noble Buddhist Dispensation, like 'killing'. It is the most severe punishment. "

Kesi was highly pleased and became a life-long disciple of the Buddha. (Anguttara Nikaya - Catukka Nipata - Kesi Sutta)

One day, the Buddha placed a few grains of sand on his thumb nail. He asked the monks:

"What quantity of sand is greater - the quantity on my thumb nail, or the quantity on earth?"

The monks said:

"The quantity on earth is greater."

The Buddha said:

"In the same way, Monks, those beings who will be born as human beings are as few as the grains of sand on my thumb. Those who are born as other beings than human beings are as great as the sand on earth." (Samyutta Nikaya)

One day, a Brahmin came to see the Buddha and abused him roundly. The Buddha listened to it all, quite calmly. The Buddha called him back to him and said:

"You abused me to your heart's content. I endured it all in silence. But, could you answer a question?"

The Brahmin said:

"All right, go ahead: Ask your question."

The Buddha asked him:

"O Brahmin, if a guest were to visit your house, what will you do?"

The Brahmin said：

"I will treat him well, with food and drink."

The Buddha asked him:

"If the guest does not partake of all the things you give him what will you do?"

The Brahmin said:

"I will enjoy all that with my wife."

The Buddha said:

"Exactly in that manner, you abused me roundly just a little while ago. That 'treaat' you gave me I did not accept. Therefore, you take it and enjoy it with your wife."

One day, the Buddha visited Ven. Rahula: in his monastic cell. Ven. Rahula: received the Buddha with due honour, prepared a seat for him, and brought water to wash the Buddha's feet. The Buddha took that water little by little in a small vesses, pouring water on his feet with it. He placed the small vessel upside down and asked Ven. Rahula:

"Is there any water in this little vessel now?"

Ven. Rahula: replied:

"As it is turned upside down there is no water in it at all,"

The Buddha addressed Ven. Rahula:and said:

"Rahula, just as no water remains in a vessel that is upturned not even a vestige of virtue will remain in a person who utters lies."

On one occasion the Buddha was lying down on some Simsapa leaves in the Simsapa forest in Alavaka country. Next morning when royal prince Hatthaka Alavaka was walking along, he saw the Buiddha sleeping on the leaves. He worshipped the Buddha and asked him whether he had a good night's rest. The Buddha said:

"Yes, Prince, I am one of the person in this world who sleeps comfortably."

"O Sir, this winter. This is the snow season. It is exceedingly cold at night. The ground is very rough. The ground is broken up by cart-wheel ridges. Even the leaves spread on the ground are quite thin. The tree is also withered and has no leaves. Even your yellow robe iscold. There is a strong cold wind blowing. With all this you say yo;;u are one of those in the world who sleeps well."

"O Prince, I will ask you a question about this matter. You can reply if you like. Just consider, a given householder or the son of a householder as a tall house which is secured against cold air from outside with well-made doors and windows. He has a bed spread with blankets of the softest wool. There are costly carpets on the floor. There are canopies above. Lamps with perfumed oil are lit at the foot and the head of his bed. He is attended upon by four young maidens of exquisite beauty. When all these conditions are there, O Prine, do you think that householder or that son of a householder will sleep well?"

The Prince replied:

"Yes, Sir, I think he is one of those persons in the world who sleeps well." "Do you admit. O Prince, that householder or the son of the householder who sleeps like that with four beautiful maidens will experience his body and mind buurning due to the fire of sensual desire - fire of lust, and that hesleeps miserabley because of that fire?"

"Yes, Sir I Admit it."

"O Prince, I have fully and completely eradicated the fire that burns the body and mind due to lust, hatred and ignorance. I have eradicated that fire so that it will never occur again. That way, I am one of the persons in the world who sleeps well." (Anguttara Nikaya - Tika Nipata - Devaduta Vagga)

On one occasion, the Buddha sat with his upper body erect, deep in meditation, in a forest glade in Kosala kingdom. At that time, a Brahmin of the Bharadvaja clan entered that forest looking for fourteen heads of his cattle that had gone stray. Seeing the Buddha, he described how fourteen heads of his cattle had gone domestic grievances. He told the Buddha:

"Sir, as you are devoid of all these you live happily."

At that, the Buddha spoke thus:

"O Brahmin, you have been wandering around for six days, wandering around for six days,looking for your fourteen heads of cattle. Therefore, I am happy. I have no sesame filed with one-leaf and two-leaf plants. Therefore, I am happy.

"O Brahmin, in your empty barn, the m8ice run about. I do not have any such problem. Therefore, I live happily.

"O Brahmin, your grass mat which is seven months old is infested with worms born in it. I have no such problem. Therefore, I am happy.

"O Brahmin, you have one son, you have seven widowed daughters with two sons. I do not have even one. Therefore, I live happily.

"O Brahmin, your cat-eyed Brahmin wife, whose body is full of honey-coloured moles, wakes you up when you are asleep, by kicking you. I have no such problem. Therefore, I am happy.

"O Brahmin, your creditors come early in the morning and ask you to pay back the loans. When you don't, they abuse you. I have no such problem. Therefore, I live happily without suffering, like you." (Samyutta Nikaya - Bramana Samyutta - Arahanta Vagga)

Using the description given by the Brahmin himself, the Buddha shows how the Brahmin suffers, but now is happy.

One day, King Kosala came to see the Buddha immediately after he had taken about four measures of rice, as was his habit. The king sat on a side panting, huffing and puffing. Seeing how he was panting, knowing also how much rice he had taken, the Buddha told him:

"The person who takes his meals, aware of a sense of proportion, will have no pains whatsoever. He can fully digest the food he takes. This protects his liofe-span, too."

Manujassa sada satimato mattam janato laddhabhojane tanu tassa bhavanti vedana sanikam jirati ayupalayanti."

The king's attendant, a young man called Sudassana, stood behind the king. The king went back to the palace and told Sudassana :

"Go back to the Buddha, learn that stanza by memory and recite it every day, seated near me when I take my meals. I will give you a salary of hundred kahapanas."

Sudassana did as instructed. The quantity of rice taken came down gradually and, at last, it came down to a single nalilka. With that, the king's prominent paunch, too, got reduced. The obese body became slimmer. He stroked his body with his hands, saying:

"Our Buddha shows me his affection for me both in matters relating to spiritual development and to worldly development. "" Ubhayena vata mam so Bhagava atthena anukampi ditthadhammikena ceva atthena samparayikena ca." (Samyutta Nikaya - Kosala Samyutta - Donapika sutta)

Here, the Budaha pointed out the ill-effects of taking food, without a sense of proportion, in a manner that will not hurt his feelings.

Once, King Kosala went to Jatavana Monastery to see the Buddha. When they were in conversation a royal messenger came to the king and respectfully whispered something in the king's ar. He said that Queen Mallika passed away. The moment the king heard it he prostrated himself, and was sorely distraught by deep sorrow. Even vutte raja Pasenadi Kosala dukkhi dummano pattakkhandho adhomukho pajjhayanto appanbhago nisidi. The Buddha seeing King Kosala distraught at the news of the death of his queen, consoled him thus:

"O great King, there are five things in this world that even the greatest person cannot get. They are - remaining without growing old; remaining without falling ill; remaining without losing years; remaining without dying; and remainingwithout changing. Even if a man, or a god, or a Brahmin, or a Mara, or any other great man, were to expect that these things will not happy to him, or were to wish, these things can in no way be achieved."

The Buddha travelled the kingdom of Kosala with a retinue of Bhikkhus. In the coursse of his travels he visited a Brahmin village called Icehanangala. The Buddha resided in a forest there. Hearing that Gotama, the scion of the Sakya clan who had become a monk, has arrived in this village, Brahmins from the village came to see him, bearing varieties of food and drink and offerings. They assembled at the gate to the forest, and began to shout at the top of their voice. At that time it was Ven. Nagita who attended on him. The Buddha spoke to Ven. Nagita:

" Nagita, who are those who are shouting as at a fish market?" ( "Ke paneto Nagita ucca sadda, maha sadda kevatta manne maccha vilopeti?" )

Ven. Nagita said:

"O Sir, the Brahmin willagers of Icchanangala have brought along alms for the Buddha and his disciples, and are assembled there at the outside."

The Buddha said:

"I don't need material goods, praise or glory, I do not want to haveany link with these, and these material gains, praise and glory should also not have any link with me (maham Nagita yasena samagamo; ma ca maya yaso). I have joy in my renunciation. I have joy in my solitude. The joy of tranquility is quite sufficient for me."

Ven. Nagita said:

"O Sir, whereever you reside, all the people in that area turn in your direction. They get attracted to you. ("Yena, yena padesam Bhante Bhagava gamissati tanninnava bhavissanti Brahamana, gahapatika negama ceva janapada ca.") Therefore, O Sir, please accept these offerings. O Sir, after a heavy rain-fall all the water rushes to the lower ground. In the same way, if you visit some area, all the Brahmins, householders, villagers, citizens of market towns, all get attracted to your direction. They flood in. Why do they do it? It is entirely because of your virtue and unparalleled wisdom. ("Tam kissa hetu tatha hi Bhante Bhagavato silapnnatam.") Therefore, O Sir, please accept their offering."

"Nagita, I have nothing to do with material gains, praise and glory. I never establish such links. Those things must not have anything to do with me. Nagita, I treasure solitude, liberty, tranquillity. I must have htat without any interruption. Eating, drinking, tasting are not important tasks. Their result is body-waste. (Asia pitakhayita sayitassa kho Nagita uccarapassyavo, Eso tassa nissaando.) (Anguttara Nikaya - Pancaka Nipata -Nagita Sutta)

One day, Prince Abhayaraja offered alms to the Buddha in his house. At the end, while carrying his two-year olf infant son, Prince Abhayaraja asked him a question: "Sir, you at times speak words that hurt others. 'Devadatta will go to the evil state. No one can help him.' When you said such things, he got got angry. When you speak such harsh words, there is no difference between yourself and ordinary worldlings. "

The Buddha replied: "O Royal Prince, I speak the truth as it is, but, I never say harsh thing to anyone. Let us take an example. If this infant in your hand were to put a pebble or a morsel of dirt in his mouth, what will you do?" The prince said: "I will take out the pebble or the morsel of dirt." Then the Buddha asked him:＂If it is not easy to take them out?"

The Prince said: " I will hold the child's head with my left hand, put a finger of the right in the infant's mouth, bend it and probe the mouth, and will try to take out what he has put in his mouth. "The Buddha then said: "What5 you do that, the child's throat might bleed. It may hurt the child. Isn't it?" The prince answered: "Yes, Sir." The Buddha again asked: "Did you do it because of your love of the child, or because did not love the child?" The prince said: "Certainly because I love the child." The Buddha said: "In the same way, when I speak out the truth as it really is, some people may feel hurt. Some may even get angry. But, I do not say these things to hurt them. I say this kind of thing because of the limitless compassion I have for them."

In the Tipitaka this kind of story occurs not in hundreds but in thousands. It is quite clear that the Buddha used stories and similes extensively when when he wanted to make himself clear to the ordinary people.

Even today the ordinary folk, when they listen to a sermon, remember only a story that was told in the course of that sermon. The masses adore this style of the Buddha's Discourses, even in our own day, too.