The Snake Charmer and the Monkey: A Lesson in Kindness

The Tale
Once, the Bodhisatta was a grain merchant, and a snake charmer who performed at festivals asked him to watch his trained monkey while he was away. The Bodhisatta agreed, and for a week, he cared for the monkey. However, when the snake charmer returned, he was angry and began beating the poor monkey with a bamboo stick right in the Bodhisatta’s shop.

Later that night, while the snake charmer slept, the monkey untied himself and climbed a mango tree. After enjoying a mango, he dropped the seed onto the snake charmer’s head. The snake charmer, waking up, tried to coax the monkey back with sweet words, promising to treat him like a son from now on. But the monkey, remembering the beating, replied, “I prefer to live freely in the forest,” and swiftly escaped into the treetops. The snake charmer, frustrated and upset, left in defeat.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha
In a later life, the snake charmer and the monkey were reborn as an elder disciple of the Buddha and a novice under his guidance. The elder disciple was harsh and cruel to the novice, frequently punishing him. Unable to bear the mistreatment, the novice left and returned home. The elder, remorseful, begged him to return, promising kindness. The novice agreed and came back, but the elder’s behavior remained unchanged. Once again, the novice left. This time, when the elder pleaded for him to come back, the boy refused.

When the Buddha heard his disciples discussing the situation, he shared this story to show that the elder had been cruel to the novice in a past life, just as he had been cruel to the monkey.

Moral
True kindness is shown through consistent actions, not just promises. Cruelty breeds mistrust, and those who are mistreated will not return to those who have harmed them. Change must come from within, and it is through genuine compassion that true relationships are built.