[Listen to audio]
A man had to make an arduous journey across mountains and rivers to reach the place where he planned to conduct business. As he edged his way along a deep ravine, he slipped and fell. Flailing his arms in panic, he just managed to grab a branch of a withered tree.
As he dangled in the air, unable to move, he looked up and noticed that the Buddha was standing above him, gazing at him with compassion. This is my chance to be rescued, he thought, and he begged the Buddha to save him. The Buddha smiled and said, “I will save you if you follow my directions.”
“What must I do?” asked the man.
“Let go of the branch,” said the Buddha.
Hearing this, the man thought: if I let go, I will doubtless fall into the abyss and be killed. So he held on even tighter.
The Buddha, seeing that the man was firmly committed to his delusions, could do no more for him, and left.
We are in the gravest peril when we cling to fear and conventional ideas. Safety lies in following the Buddha’s teaching, and living in harmony with our true nature.