Buddha, one day, was in deep thought about the worldly activities and the ways of instilling goodness in human beings. One of his disciples approached him and said humbly, "Oh my teacher! While you are so much concerned about the world and others, why don't you look into the welfare and needs of your own disciples also."
Buddha: "OK... Tell me how I can help you."
Disciple: "Master! My attire is worn out and is beyond the decency to wear the same. Can I get a new one, please?"
Buddha found the robe indeed was in a bad condition and needed replacement. He asked the storekeeper to give the disciple a new robe to wear. The disciple thanked Buddha and retired to his room. A while later, he went to his disciple's place and asked him, "Is your new attire comfortable? Do you need anything more?"
Disciple: "Thank you, my Master. The attire is indeed very comfortable. I need nothing more."
Buddha: "Having got the new one, what did you do with your old attire?"
Disciple: "I am using it as my bedspread."
Buddha: "Then... hope you have disposed of your old bedspread."
Disciple: "No... no... master. I am using my old bedspread as my window curtain."
Buddha: "What about your old curtain?"
Disciple: "Being used to handle hot utensils in the kitchen."
Buddha: "Oh... I see... Can you tell me what did they do with the old cloth they used in the kitchen?"
Disciple: "They are being used to wash the floor."
Buddha: "Then, the old rug being used to wash the floor...?"
Disciple: "Master, since they were torn off so much, we could not find any better use, but to use as a twig in the oil lamp, which is right now lit in your study room...."
Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room.
If not to this degree of utilization, can we at least attempt to find the best use of all our resources at home and in the office?
We need to handle wisely all the resources Earth has bestowed upon us—both natural and material—so that they can be saved for the generations to come.
"The HAPPIEST people do not necessarily have the BEST of all. They simply APPRECIATE what they find on their way."
Regards,
Kumar H P
From Hong Kong
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6Buddha: "OK... Tell me how I can help you."
Disciple: "Master! My attire is worn out and is beyond the decency to wear the same. Can I get a new one, please?"
Buddha found the robe indeed was in a bad condition and needed replacement. He asked the storekeeper to give the disciple a new robe to wear. The disciple thanked Buddha and retired to his room. A while later, he went to his disciple's place and asked him, "Is your new attire comfortable? Do you need anything more?"
Disciple: "Thank you, my Master. The attire is indeed very comfortable. I need nothing more."
Buddha: "Having got the new one, what did you do with your old attire?"
Disciple: "I am using it as my bedspread."
Buddha: "Then... hope you have disposed of your old bedspread."
Disciple: "No... no... master. I am using my old bedspread as my window curtain."
Buddha: "What about your old curtain?"
Disciple: "Being used to handle hot utensils in the kitchen."
Buddha: "Oh... I see... Can you tell me what did they do with the old cloth they used in the kitchen?"
Disciple: "They are being used to wash the floor."
Buddha: "Then, the old rug being used to wash the floor...?"
Disciple: "Master, since they were torn off so much, we could not find any better use, but to use as a twig in the oil lamp, which is right now lit in your study room...."
Buddha smiled in contentment and left for his room.
If not to this degree of utilization, can we at least attempt to find the best use of all our resources at home and in the office?
We need to handle wisely all the resources Earth has bestowed upon us—both natural and material—so that they can be saved for the generations to come.
"The HAPPIEST people do not necessarily have the BEST of all. They simply APPRECIATE what they find on their way."
Regards,
Kumar H P
From Hong Kong
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Nice post, Kumar. However, this had appeared on CiteHr before at https://www.citehr.com/16277-resourc...rn-buddha.html. When we are not the authors, we should give some introduction to explain how we came across the story. For example, Venkat provides an introduction in his post referenced above:
"A key factor that adds value to performance is the complete utilization of resources. The following is a powerful illustration. I came across this story about Buddha and his principle of utilizing available resources to the fullest extent possible. I'm sure you will find it interesting!"
Have a lovely day.
Regards,
Simhan
From United Kingdom
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"A key factor that adds value to performance is the complete utilization of resources. The following is a powerful illustration. I came across this story about Buddha and his principle of utilizing available resources to the fullest extent possible. I'm sure you will find it interesting!"
Have a lovely day.
Regards,
Simhan
From United Kingdom
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