Deep Commentary

In this teaching, the Buddha recounted and explained a story to the assembly while residing at Jetavana Monastery. According to the narrative, a woman named Magandiya, previously rejected by the Buddha, felt intense disappointment and a wounded pride, secretly nurturing a deep-seated resentment. Later, upon becoming a queen, she sought revenge by hiring a group of poor, uneducated, and unruly people to verbally abuse and humiliate the Buddha. She instructed them that whenever Bhikkhu Gotama came to that place for alms, they should surround him and insult him with the harshest and most offensive words, driving him away. When the Buddha and Ananda approached the town on their alms round, the townspeople, including non-believers and the hired troublemakers, harshly insulted both the Buddha and Ananda. The Buddha remained serene. Ananda, unable to bear it, suggested moving to another town, but the Buddha explained that one should not flee from trouble; rather, one should remain until the disturbance subsides, like a war elephant enduring arrows from all directions. The Buddha illustrated that a practitioner must cultivate extraordinary patience and endurance to face adversities, both internal and external. The Buddha further explained three types of patience: patience with desires, patience with offenses or insults, and patience with the disturbances of the mind. Mastery of these leads to liberation. Even well-trained animals, such as elephants, horses, and donkeys, cannot compare to a human who has cultivated patience, moral discipline, and the restraint of anger and desire. Such a person demonstrates supreme spiritual strength and is undisturbed by slander or criticism.