The Ram’s Lesson: Misunderstanding Animal Behavior

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was a merchant. One day, while out on a journey, he witnessed a curious event involving an ascetic wearing leather clothes. This ascetic was on an alms round and had passed by an area where rams were being made to fight each other. When one of the rams saw the ascetic approaching, it stepped back, and the ascetic, interpreting this as a gesture of respect, thought that the animal was acknowledging him in the same way a person would.

The Bodhisatta, observing the scene, realized the danger. He quickly tried to warn the ascetic, calling out that the ram was about to attack. However, before he could finish his warning, the ram charged at full speed, knocking the ascetic to the ground. The ascetic was injured and groaned in pain, soon realizing how mistaken and overconfident he had been in thinking that an animal would behave with the same social respect as a person. He died soon after from his injuries.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha
Later, when the Buddha heard his disciples discussing the death of a similar ascetic who had been killed by a ram in a similar manner, he shared this story with them. The Buddha explained that this had happened to the same ascetic in an earlier life, where his mistaken belief in the behavior of animals led to his untimely death.

Moral of the Story
The Cammasataka Jataka teaches the dangers of overestimating one’s understanding or making assumptions based on human behavior when dealing with animals or unfamiliar situations. The ascetic’s misguided belief that a ram’s actions were a sign of respect, rather than a natural instinct, led to his downfall. This story serves as a reminder to remain humble and cautious, recognizing that animals do not follow human social codes and can behave unpredictably.

The Buddha used this story to illustrate how certain patterns of thought can persist through lives, and how wisdom involves learning from one’s mistakes and understanding the true nature of things.