Buddha answered ” NO – there is no God.”
Another man came and asked Buddha “What do you think of God? Is there any God?
Buddha answered “YES – there is GOD.”
Late evening an old man came and said ” There are people who believe in God and people who don’t, I myself need to know if God exists, please help me.”
Buddha did not speak – instead he gave the answer through his actions. He sat beneath the tree, closed his eyes and went into deep meditation. The old man thought that this must be the answer – so he too sat down, closed his eyes and started meditating. After a while the old man opened his eyes, touched the feet of Buddha and said ” Your compassion is great. You have given me the answer. I will always remain obliged to you.” Happily he left.
Ananda asked Buddha ” To the first man you answered – God doesn’t exist. To the second man you answered “God exists.” And to the last man – you said nothing but just went into meditation. I don’t understand your answers – please help me understand.”
Buddha smiled and said ” The first and the second man just wanted an answer – they were not seekers. The last man was a seeker – he wanted to ‘experience’ God and not just ‘know’. He was able to ‘relate’ – he was a seeker.
