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One day, Buddha and his disciple Ānanda were walking along a road, when Ānanda suddenly heard Buddha say, "There is a poisonous snake!" Ānanda leaned forward to look, only to see a pile of shiny silver. Ānanda replied, "Yes, World-Honoured One, it is indeed a poisonous snake!" They ignored it and continued walking.
A father and son pair overheard Buddha and Ānanda mentioning a "poisonous snake," and they too became curious. They peeked to see what it was—"Wow! It is not a snake; it is a pot full of shiny silver!" The father and son were tempted. The father told his son, "Quick, let's take it home! We've struck it rich!" They happily carried the silver back home and took it to the market to use.
It turned out that the silver had been stolen from the national treasury and temporarily hidden near the road by thieves, who intended to retrieve it after things had calmed down. However, Buddha and Ānanda discovered it while passing by, and the father and son took it away. In the city, the authorities issued a wanted notice for the thieves, and the silver from the treasury had the words "National Silver" inscribed on it. As a result, the father and son were mistaken for the thieves who stole from the treasury, got arrested, and even sentenced to death.
As the father and son were about to be executed, the father sighed deeply and said to his son, "My son, it really was a poisonous snake—we have been bitten by it!" The executioner found their conversation strange, so he reported it to the king. The king felt that these words held deep meaning and were not something ordinary people could come up with, so he ordered the execution to be halted and personally interrogated them. After learning the full story, the king realised that the father and son were merely pickers, not thieves, and pardoned them.
The difference between being tempted and remaining unaffected, lies in whether we give in to greed. For ordinary people, it is very difficult to remain unaffected when faced with temptation, just like how the father and son could not resist the sight of a large pot of silver. On the other hand, Buddha and Ānanda saw it as a poisonous snake, not only remaining unaffected, but also avoiding it altogether. This is the difference between the enlightened and the unenlightened. Ordinary people are easily swayed by external factors, while the primary goal of practicing Buddhism is to train one’s mind to act independently without being influenced by external factors.
Why does the mind get influenced by external circumstances? Simply put, it is due to greed—those who lust after physical pleasures, may bring disharmony to their families at best, or cause their families to fall apart at worst. Those who are obsessed with money, may at best suffer from inner turmoil, or at worst, lose their sanity or even go bankrupt. For example, many people face such tragedies because of gambling or stock speculation, leading to unbearable financial loss or psychological stress.
As the saying goes, "It is not lust that confuses people; people confuse themselves. Wealth does not harm people; people harm themselves." A wise person would detach themselves from the temptations of wealth, lust, and fame. As humans, we should use our lives wisely to spread pure and selfless love, benefitting others. This is the wisdom of a Bodhisattva and the true intention of the Buddha!
Translated by Teo Jia Xin
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