Tell me simply what you are preaching? A man told Buddha

Man: The Buddha. Don't preach me serious sermons. Tell me simply what are you preaching?

The Supreme Buddha: Good. I will explain it to you simply. You have a son, right?

Man: Yes, there is.

The Supreme Buddha: Does your brother also have a son?

Man: Yes. There is.

The Supreme Buddha: Does your neighbor have a son?

Man: There is a monk.

The Supreme Buddha: Even those you do not know have sons, right?

Man: Yes, Venerable.

The Supreme Buddha: Your son is dying. What kind of grief do you have?

Man: Lord, I am suffering unbearably. My whole world is falling apart. I do not know what will happen.

The Supreme Buddha: Your brother's son is dying. What kind of grief do you have?

Man: Lord, there is some sorrow. But It is not so much sad as in the case of my own son’s death.

The Supreme Buddha: Your neighbor's son is dying. What kind of grief do you have?
Man: Lord, there is very little sorrow. 

The Supreme Buddha: The son of someone you do not know dies. What kind of grief do you have?

Man: Lord, there will be no sorrow

The Supreme Buddha: So what is your grief relative to?

(The man who thought for a while and answers:)
Man: Lord, sorrow is relative to the level at which It captures my heart.

The Supreme Buddha: Very good. Didn't your son go to the beach when he was a child and build sand castles and play?

Human: Yes sir. we did that.

The Supreme Buddha- Did your son cry when when waves washed away his sand castle
Man- Yes lord he did cry
The Supreme Buddha-Did you also cry?
Man –No Lord,I did not cry
The Supreme Buddha: Why did you not cry?

Human: Lord, the child cries because he thinks the sand castles are permanent and sees their beauty and clings to it. When I build a sand castle I know it is not permanent. So I do not cry when it is destroyed.

You understand now ... if you do not see the truth .. you and the child who is on this long pilgrimage, would be building sand castles on the beach
There is no difference between that experience and others...

If you like  Dhamma Alms, please SHARE as much as possible.
Jayadeva de Silva (SriLanka)