The great Buddhist saint Nagarjuna moved around naked except for a loin-cloth and,
incongruously, a golden begging-bowl gifted to him by the king who was his
disciple.
One night he was about to lie down to sleep among the ruins of an ancient
monastery when he noticed a thief lurking behind one of the columns. “Here, take
this,” said Nagarjuna, holding out the begging bowl. “That way you won’t disturb
me once I have fallen asleep.”
The thief eagerly grabbed the bowl and made off - only to return next morning with
the bowl and a request. He said, “When you gave away this bowl so freely last
night, you made me feel very poor. Teach me how to acquire the riches that make
this kind of light-hearted detachment possible.”
No one can take from you what you never took to yourself.
🙂
The great Buddhist saint Nagarjuna moved around naked except for a loin-cloth and,
incongruously, a golden begging-bowl gifted to him by the king who was his
disciple.
One night he was about to lie down to sleep among the ruins of an ancient
monastery when he noticed a thief lurking behind one of the columns. “Here, take
this,” said Nagarjuna, holding out the begging bowl. “That way you won’t disturb
me once I have fallen asleep.”
The thief eagerly grabbed the bowl and made off - only to return next morning with
the bowl and a request. He said, “When you gave away this bowl so freely last
night, you made me feel very poor. Teach me how to acquire the riches that make
this kind of light-hearted detachment possible.”
No one can take from you what you never took to yourself.
🙂