Once, the Buddha was traveling through a forest on a scorching day. Thirsty, he said to his attendant Ānanda: “We crossed a small stream earlier. Return and fetch me water.”
Ānanda went back but found the stream muddy and undrinkable after carts had churned its bed. He told the Buddha: “The water is foul. Let me go to a river a few miles ahead.”
The Buddha insisted: “No. Return to the same stream.” Reluctantly, Ānanda obeyed but turned back halfway, protesting: “Why insist? It’s futile!” The Buddha simply repeated: “Go again.”
When Ānanda reached the stream, the silt had settled—the water flowed clear. He joyfully collected it and bowed to the Buddha: “You taught me a great lesson: nothing is permanent.”
Philosophical Notes
Impermanence (Anicca):
The muddy stream’s return to clarity mirrors life’s transient nature. All phenomena—suffering, joy, chaos—are fleeting.
Lesson: As the Dhammapada states: “All conditioned things are impermanent. Strive on with mindfulness.”
Patience and Trust:
Ānanda’s reluctance symbolizes human resistance to uncertainty. The Buddha’s insistence teaches surrender to the natural flow of time and karma.
Lesson: True wisdom lies not in forcing outcomes but trusting the process of impermanence.
Purification Through Stillness:
The silt settles only when undisturbed, reflecting the Buddhist practice of calming the mind (samatha) to reveal innate purity (prabhāsvara).
Lesson: External chaos mirrors inner turbulence. Clarity emerges when we stop reacting.
The Teacher’s Role:
The Buddha’s silence — offering no explanation — guides Ānanda to self-realization. This embodies Chan’s “direct pointing to the mind.”
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