Buddha's disciples

A great king once came to see Buddha. His prime minister persuaded him to come, but he was a very suspicious man – as politicians and Kings usually are. Very suspicious. He didn’t want to come in the first place; just for political reasons he came to see him, because in the capital the rumor was spreading that he was against Buddha; and all the people were for Buddha, so he became afraid. It was not diplomatic, so he went to see. 

With his prime minister, when he reached closer to the grove where Buddha was sitting with his ten thousand monks, he became very much afraid. He pulled his sword out and he said to the prime minister, ”What is the matter? – because you said ten thousand people are staying there, and we have come so close and there is no noise! Is there some conspiracy?”

The prime minister laughed and be said, ”You don’t know buddha’s people. You just put your sword back! You come on – there is no conspiracy or anything. You need not be afraid. They are not going to kill you. You don’t know Buddha’s men.”

But very suspicious, holding his hand on the sword, the king went into the grove. He was surprised. He could not believe there were ten thousand people sitting under the trees silently, as if there was no one. 

He asked Buddha, ”This is a miracle! – ten thousand people. Even ten people together create so much noise – what are these people doing? What has happened to these people? Has something gone wrong? Are they still alive? They look like statues! And what are they doing sitting here? They should do something! ”

And Buddha said, ”They are doing something, but it has nothing to do with the outside. They are doing something in their inner world. They are not in their bodies, they are in their beings, at the very core. And these are not ten thousand people right now – they are all part of one consciousness.