Buddhist Parable, A Poor Man and a Donkey

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Buddhist Parable, A Poor Man and a Donkey

There once was a poor man who led a donkey every day across the border from one kingdom to another. The border guards suspected he was smuggling something, so each day as the man passed the border, they carefully searched the man and the donkey’s saddlebags, but they never did find anything.

After a while, the man starts to wear more expensive clothing and buys a large house. The border guards redouble their efforts to inspect the man and his donkey closely because they now are certain the man is smuggling something. But in their daily searches of the man and the saddlebags, they never come up with anything but straw.

After 30 years of this daily routine, one of the border guards retires. One day when the retired border guard is walking across the street, he runs into the man and says, “Listen, I am no longer a border guard and I can no longer hurt you. I promise I will never tell anyone, but just for my peace of mind, please tell me what you have been smuggling all those years.”

The man replies, “Because I know that you can no longer arrest me, I will tell you. I was smuggling donkeys.”

Enlightenment happens when a simple, honest truth appears, a truth that has been in front of us all the time, but which we completely missed because we were so focused on our own agenda. 

Finding this truth opens our minds and gives us access to entirely new possibilities, which, in turn, gives us the opportunity to produce more effective results.

1. What if…  I think is the problem isn’t the problem at all?
2. What if… I think is the solution isn’t the solution at all?
3. What if… the way I’m looking at an issue is actually part of the problem?

Just like the guards, so intent on being right that the man was smuggling goods they completely missed the obvious truth that he was smuggling the donkeys, so too, do we focus on our own views, opinions and judgments and completely miss the reality and truth right in front of our eyes.

So, if you’re struggling with something, STOP. Step back. Take another look. Ask yourself:

“If the way I have it all figured out, isn’t it… then what could it be?”

No matter how hard you work on the wrong thing, it makes no difference. The problem isn’t the problem. Your reaction is the problem.

“It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” -  This is a quote from Epictetus. 

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. Many things in life are going to occur that are unexpected. They will take us by surprise.

Epictetus, is saying that you can’t control life events, but you can control how you react to them, which is the most important thing.