The Wise Antelope: Vigilance Against Danger

Long ago, in a lush forest teeming with life, there lived a wise antelope who loved nothing more than feasting on sweet, fallen fruit. But he was no ordinary antelope; he had learned to outwit the dangers of the wild through caution and observation.

One day, as the antelope wandered in search of fruit, he noticed a tempting tree heavy with ripe bounty. Yet, his keen eyes caught something unusual—faint footprints around the base of the tree, disappearing into the branches above. A clever hunter was waiting on a hidden platform, spear in hand, hoping to ambush any animal drawn to the fallen fruit.

The antelope approached cautiously, stopping just outside the tree’s shadow. As he stood there, the hunter, growing impatient, plucked some fruit and threw it in front of him, hoping to lure him closer. But the antelope, ever alert, found this suspicious. “Why,” he mused aloud, “is this fruit rolling toward me instead of falling straight down like it should? This tree must be behaving strangely today.”

Pretending not to notice the hunter, the antelope addressed the tree, “I don’t trust your fruit today. I’ll find another tree to eat from.” The hunter, realizing his prey was slipping away, hurled his spear in desperation. It missed its mark, embedding itself uselessly in the ground.

Now safe, the antelope turned to the hunter and said, “Your spear may have missed me, but you won’t miss the punishment awaiting you for your cruel deeds.”

The Buddha’s Teaching

Centuries later, during the Buddha’s time, his disciples discussed the treachery of Devadatta, who had tried to take the Buddha’s life on three occasions. The Buddha, serene and unshaken, recounted this story, revealing that the antelope was one of his past lives and the hunter was Devadatta. Even then, Devadatta had schemed against him, but his malice was always met with failure.

Moral

Wisdom and vigilance protect against danger, while ill intentions only lead to one’s own downfall.