A Lesson of Forgiveness

[Midakpa]

In the Parable of the Saw, in  the Majjhima Nikaya, i, 128-9, the Buddha taught restraint in the face of abuse. He said that when people abuse us or speak ill of us, we must not retaliate in the same way. Instead, we must be "compassionate of others' welfare and have a kind heart without resentment. We should have thoughts of love and kindness of the persons who abuse us, thoughts that are "far-reaching, wide-spreading, boundless, free from hate, free from ill-will, ...."

In the Parable, the Buddha said to his disciples:

"...though robbers, who are highwaymen, should with a two-handed saw carve you in pieces limb by limb, yet if the mind of any one of you should be offended thereat, such an one is no follower of my gospel."

The Buddha taught this knowing that it would benefit his disciples. It is difficult not to retaliate when attacked or abused, but this is the correct reaction in order to overcome the delusion of hatred or anger.

[Midakpa]

The Buddha taught that the sage does not engage in quarrels (wordy warfare). In the Samyutta Nikaya, iii.11, he said:

"Home he abandons: homeless wandering
The Sage with folk no longer maketh ties.
Empty of Lusts, showing no preference,
With no man wageth wordy warfare more."

For the Buddha, the sage is one who has overcome all delusions (ignorance, desire, anger). In the S.N, iii, 94, the Buddha talked about the impermanence of the five aggregates:

"I quarrel not with the world, brethren. It is the world that quarrels with me. No preacher of the Norm, brethren, quarrels with anyone in the world.... And what is not upheld in the world of Sages, of which I declare "It is not"? That body is permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to decay. That is not upheld in the world of the Sages, ... Feeling, perception, the activities, consciousness is permanent, stable, eternal, not subject to decay...That is not upheld in the world of the Sages, and of that I declare :It is not so.""

The above clearly explains the Buddha's patience when the man spit on him out of anger which is the result of wrong views formed by the man. There is no such thing as an angry man because all feelings are impermanent. The Buddha is not angry with the man but with his disciples who should have known better than to react with anger. By not showing restraint, they are no better than the man who spit on the Buddha.