The Disciple Learns

A disciple went to the Buddha late in the evening, and requested, "Lord, I wish to know the origin of the universe...and whether the soul is immortal. I demand that you tell me these answers. If you don't, then I can no longer follow you."

The Buddha answered, "Disciple, did I ever say that I would answer these questions?"

"No, Lord."

The Buddha then said, "Then that being the case, foolish man, who are you to be claiming grievances or making demands of anyone? If anyone were to say, 'I won't live the holy life under the Blessed One as long as he does not declare these things to me', then he will die and those things will still remain undeclared by me."

The Buddha continued, "It's as if a man were wounded with an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends and relatives would provide him with a surgeon, and the man would then say, 'I won't have this arrow removed unless I know who shot me...whether the bow was a long bow or cross bow...whether the bowstring was fiber, bamboo threads, or sinew...or whether the shaft was wild or cultivated...whether the feathers were those of a vulture, a hawk or a peacock.' The man would die and those things would still remain unknown."

The Buddha then said, "Why are these things undeclared by me? Because they are not connected with the goal of living a holy life. What is declared by me is how to remove the suffering from your life, and how to achieve awakening."

Upon hearing this, the disciple delighted in the Blessed One's words.