Soon Buddha’s teachings spread all over and he had many followers. One day one of his followers said, “O Blessed one, you are certainly the greatest of all teachers who ever lived.”
Buddha asked the disciple, “Tell me, have you met all the great teachers who have come into the world?”
“No, of course not,” he answered.
“And do you know all the teachers who are alive now or will be born in the future?”
“No , I do not,” he answered again.
And so the Buddha said, “Then it is wrong to say that I am the greatest of all teachers. If you find my teachings helpful, the best things to do is to practice them. Do not waste your energy praising me. Now tell me if you want to buy some precious gold, will you pay for it without testing it first?”
“No, of course not,” he said, “ It might be fake, and then I would be wasting my money.”
“It is exactly the same way with my teachings,” Buddha replied. “You should test the teachings yourself, to see if they are true or not. If you find that they are true and helpful, then practice them. Also, do not criticize the teachings of others. There are many other great teachers in the world and they all have their own way of helping people. So do not insult any of them.”
Buddha taught his followers to think of themselves, to be kind to others and to respect everyone.
The Luminous Life of Buddha ( မဟာလူသား မြတ်ဗုဒ္ဓ ) Edited by SHYAM DUA TINYTOT Publication
