Bodhisatta, King, and Disabled Man: A Tale of Wisdom

In a distant past, the Bodhisatta was born as an advisor to a powerful king. The king had a chaplain, a man so talkative and long-winded that his endless chatter monopolized every conversation, leaving no space for anyone else to speak. The king, frustrated by the chaplain’s inability to stop talking, searched in vain for a way to silence him.

One day, the king happened upon a disabled man who was famous for his remarkable skill in throwing stones. Though physically disabled, this man could shape trees with his stone-throwing precision, crafting intricate forms like elephants and horses from the foliage. Upon seeing this, the king had an idea—perhaps this man could solve his chaplain problem.

Explaining his dilemma to the disabled man, the king asked if he could use his unique skill to quiet the incessant chatter of the chaplain. The stone-thrower, ever resourceful, agreed to help, and proposed a rather unconventional method—using a peashooter filled with goat dung.

Elated at the possibility, the king had the man brought to the palace. The stone-thrower sat behind a curtain with a slit, prepared for the next meeting with the chaplain. As expected, when the chaplain arrived, he immediately began his usual long-winded speeches, dominating the conversation. The stone-thrower began shooting tiny pellets of goat dung down the chaplain’s throat, each pellet swelling in his stomach as it was unknowingly swallowed.

When the chaplain had consumed the entire load, the king revealed the trick and explained why he had done it. He instructed the chaplain to take panic seeds to induce vomiting. From that day forward, the chaplain never again spoke out of turn during royal conversations.

As a reward for his successful strategy, the king bestowed upon the disabled man four villages, making him a wealthy man. The Bodhisatta, reflecting on the event, used this story to demonstrate the importance of mastering a unique skill, and how such skills can be applied wisely in solving even the most unusual problems.

The Buddha’s Teaching

In the time of the Buddha, the disabled man was revealed to have been the same person in a previous life as one of the Buddha’s disciples. This disciple, however, was not very serious about his practice and lacked discipline in his studies. One day, after bathing in the river, he boasted to another disciple that he could kill a swan by throwing a stone through both of its eyes. When he successfully did so, the other disciple reported him to the Buddha.

The Buddha reprimanded the disciple for his lack of mindfulness and careless use of his skill. To help him understand the deeper lessons of discipline, the Buddha told the story of the disabled man in his previous birth, explaining that the disciple had always possessed this particular talent for stone-throwing, but had not yet learned how to use it wisely.

The king in this story, too, was revealed to have been an earlier incarnation of Ananda, one of the Buddha’s closest and most trusted disciples. The Buddha’s message in telling this story was clear: a skill, even one as seemingly trivial as stone-throwing, can be useful, but only when mastered and applied with wisdom and responsibility.

Reflection and Wisdom

The tale of the Salittaka Jataka serves as a reminder that skills, no matter how small or unusual they may seem, can be powerful tools when used wisely. It also teaches the importance of self-discipline and the ability to apply our abilities to solve problems thoughtfully, rather than acting impulsively. Furthermore, the Buddha used this story to show how personal development, including the mastery of talents, is a lifelong process that requires mindfulness and balance.