Once a merchant named Pindak has come to the place where Gautam Buddha was preaching. The merchant came to hear Buddha’s sermons. The teachings made a deep impression on the merchant. He was so enthused that he begged Buddha to visit his town Shravasti and spread his wisdom there. Buddha could not refuse his earnest request and gave him dates.
The ecstatic merchant went back to his town. There was a beautiful garden named Jetvan. The merchant wanted to put up Buddha in that garden.
The garden belonged to the prince of Shravasti. The merchant went to the prince and asked him to lend the garden to him for a few days. He revealed that he needed it for a very special guest.
The prince didn’t want to give his garden to a greedy trader. He knew how tight-fisted the man was. So, to scare the merchant he said, “You can take my garden on one condition. You will cover the entire garden area with gold coins.”
The merchant said; “I will see if I have that many coins. Allow me to try.”
The prince was very surprised. But he asked his guards to allow the merchant to spread coins in his garden.
In the evening guards reported to the prince that the miser merchant was indeed laying out gold coins in the garden and he had covered more than half of the garden. More chests of gold coins were on the way.
The news stunned the prince.
He himself arrived to see the miracle, a miserly merchant laying out his treasures like a prince. He asked, “Pindak merchant! Who is the special guest for whom you are doing all this? You seem to be a changed person.”
The merchant proudly said, “My guest in going to be Gautam Buddha. The spiritual knowledge he blessed me with is more precious than these gold coins. My whole attitude towards the world and the life has changed. May be, after he visits this place I will donate these gold coins for some noble cause.”
The prince stared at the merchant. He noticed that whenever the merchant mentioned Buddha his eyes sparkled like gems.
The merchant revealed whatever he knew. At last the prince said, “Merchant, you need not spread coins any more. I have a proposal. I give this garden and you put these gold coins to build up a grand Buddha Vihara to be presented to him when he comes. Then, we two can join sangha and become a part of Buddha’s spiritual movement.”
The merchant readily agreed and a great Buddha Vihara came up.
His teachings had such great power to win over people and change their hearts.
The process goes on and on. Even today it still continues win over new followers whereas all other religions have stopped growing.
Abuses
There was one Brahmin who was opposed to Buddha to a psychopathic level. He always used harsh and abusive language to criticize the teachings of the Buddhism and Gautam Buddha himself.
Buddhists didn’t like the brash behaviour of the Brahmin. Buddha stayed calm and advised his followers to ignore whatever that man was doing or saying. His disciples were not reconciled.
One day, that Brahmin became raving mad. He came to Buddha when he was meditating. The Brahmin started abusing Buddha using very foul language. Buddha continued his meditation. The Brahmin ranted on and on.
Buddha signalled his disciples to stay calm.
At last the Brahmin ran out of steam. The ranting had taken a toll of his energy. He was badly panting while his veins bulged out grotesquely.
Buddha signalled his disciples to stay calm.
Buddha opened his eyes and asked, “Man, if I give you something and you refuse to take it, with whom that thing shall remain?”
The Brahmin huffed, “It…will remain with you fool…it will.”
Buddha smiled, “So, I refuse to take all those abuses you tried to give me. You can keep them.”
The Brahmin glared at Buddha.
