By Charles Barnard
There is a parable that comes from many ancient traditions about the proper response to envy, hatred, and verbal attacks.
Long, long ago a wise old grandmaster provided his students military training as well as training in life. The grandmaster was sought out by students from all over the kingdom. He was very wise and everything he did imparted wisdom. Throughout every training there were life lessons to be taught. Because of his fame and his success, this master was also often sought out by the cynic, trouble-maker, and others who often allowed fear and negativity to rule their thinking and their lives. Once during a class, an arrogant and envious leader from a distant village, who was infamous for his lack of courtesy, respect and even his outright cruelty, interrupted one of his training sessions.
This belligerent and arrogant villager was actually well known for his very aggressive communication style and for being quite the provocateur. He was filled with envy and contempt for just about everyone. He saw anyone who had attained more than he as the enemy. He insulted the enemy. He lost his temper, accepted challenges, and was too often able to get his perceived enemy to react and give in to his tactics and thereby gain an advantage over his enemy. After a youth in his village had returned from a training with the master trainer, the youth challenged the “justice” meted out by this village elder on another villager. The youth’s argument won the day, but also created an arch enemy not only for himself but for this grandmaster.
The notorious village elder was determined to destroy the reputation of this charlatan master trainer who undermined local authority and filled the youth with ignoble ideas. When he approached the wise grandmaster, he only saw him as an enemy to be defeated and destroyed. Like all the other times he had done this, this village chief shouted out a few insults and began to observe the reaction of the master. The master calmly continued to lead the training. This was repeated three times. When the wise master did not react in any way for the third time, the village elder walked away proud because he showed how dishonorable this charlatan was. He didn’t have the courage to defend his honor in front of his students. Surely, thought the elder, once word got out this would destroy the reputation of this so-called grandmaster.
The wise grandmaster’s students were mesmerized, curious, and actually a bit confused. After the elder left, a student asked the grandmaster:
“Teacher, why did you endure his attacks? It was necessary to challenge him to battle and defend your honor!”
As those filled with wisdom generally do, the grandmaster answered with a question which he posed to the entire class:
“When a gift is brought to you and you do not accept it, to whom does it belong?”
“To its former master,” the students answered in unison.
“The same applies to envy, hatred and insults. Until you accept them, they belong to the one who brought them.”
The students all understood and realized the truth and wisdom of the grandmaster. When their training was completed and they returned to the cities and villages whence they came, they continued to praise their teacher and master and thereby left the village elder more isolated, angry, and dismayed that his perceived power was being undermined by a charlatan. A few years later the village elder died before his time bitter and lonely.
When a student told the master of the death of this infamous village elder, the master simply said, “he refused to give gifts of love and was left holding the unaccepted gifts of anger and hatred which destroyed God’s greatest gift – the spirit of life.”
