Story Summary
In the Jataka tale The Buddha and the Angry Brahmin, learn how the Buddha used a simple analogy about gifts to handle insults and teach the power of patience.
A Brahmin named Akkosaka Bharadvaja was consumed with rage when he learned his brother had joined the Buddha's order. He rushed to the Buddha and unleashed a torrent of vile insults and abuse. The Buddha listened with profound stillness. When the Brahmin finally stopped to catch his breath, the Buddha asked him a simple question: 'Brahmin, if you were to offer a gift to a guest, but the guest did not accept it, to whom would that gift belong?' The Brahmin replied, 'It would still belong to me, of course.' The Buddha smiled gently and said, 'In the same way, I do not accept your anger and your insults. Since I do not accept them, they remain with you. To return anger for anger is to eat with the person who has poisoned the food. I prefer to leave the meal untouched.' Shamed by this wisdom, the Brahmin's heart softened, and he eventually sought the path of peace.
The Moral
Anger is like a gift; if you refuse to accept it, the negativity remains entirely with the person who tried to give it to you.
“If you do not accept a gift, it still belongs to the giver; so it is with your anger.”
Fun Fact
This story is often used in modern psychological therapy to teach 'detachment' and how to set emotional boundaries with toxic individuals.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the moral of The Buddha and the Angry Brahmin?
The moral is that we are responsible for our own emotions. If we refuse to react to someone's anger, their negativity cannot affect us and stays with them.
Why did the Brahmin insult the Buddha?
The Brahmin was angry because his brother had left his traditional life to become a follower of the Buddha, which he viewed as a betrayal of his family traditions.
What gift analogy did the Buddha use?
He compared insults to a gift offered to a guest. If the guest refuses the gift, it remains the property of the host, just as unaccepted anger stays with the speaker.
How did the Buddha respond to the verbal abuse?
He responded with silence, patience, and compassion, refusing to be provoked into an argument or to return the insults.
What happened to the Brahmin at the end of the story?
He realized the futility of his rage and the depth of the Buddha's wisdom, eventually asking for forgiveness and becoming a disciple himself.
Is this a Jataka tale or from the Sutta Pitaka?
While often categorized with Jataka-style moral lessons, this specific encounter is famously recorded in the Akkosaka Sutta of the Pali Canon.