In Your Hands

One day a child goes to his mother and asks her, "Mother, who is that old man sitting on that mountain?"
The mother answers, "Dont call him and old man. He is Lord Buddha, who knows answer to every question in this universe."

"Really, he knows answers to all questions?" asks the child. "Yes my dear", replies the mother.
The child goes to the mountain where Buddha is meditating, catches a butterfly from the garden, and cupping the butterfly gently in his hands, approaches the buddha.

Keeping his hand behind his back, he asks Buddha, "Is the thing in my hand alive or dead?"

The child thinks that if Buddha answers that the thing is alive, he will crush the butterfly in his hand and show the dead butterfly proving Buddha wrong.

And if Buddha answers that the thing is dead, he will open his hands gently and let the butterfly fly away, proving Buddha wrong again. Thus Buddha would not know the answer to all questions. "Is the thing in my hand dead or alive?" asks the child eagerly.

The Buddha opens his eyes, nods his head and replies,

"My dear son, the answer lies in your hands!".


Quote :

The pessimist complains about the wind;
the optimist expects it to change;
the realist adjusts the sails.

~ William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)