THE PARABLE OF THE ARROW
The Buddha was sitting in the park when his disciple Malunkyaputta approached him. Malunkyaputta had recently retired from the world and he was concerned that so many things remained unexplained by the Buddha. Was the world eternal or not eternal? Was the soul different from the body? Did the enlightened exist after death or not? He thought, ‘If the Buddha does not explain these things to me, I will give up this training and return to worldly life’.
Thus, he approached the Buddha with this question, who replied:
“Suppose, Maunkyaputa, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with poison, and his friends and companions brought a surgeon to treat him. The man would say: “I will not let the surgeon pull out the arrow until I know the name and clan of the man who wounded me; whether the bow that wounded me was long bow or crossbow; whether the arrow that wounded me was hoof-tipped or curved or barbed.
All this would still not be known to that man and meanwhile he would die. So too, Malunkyaputta, if anyone should say: “I will not lead the noble life under the Buddha until the Buddha declares to me whether the world is eternal or not eternal, finite or infinite; whether the soul is the same as or different from the body; whether an awakened one ceases to exist after death or not,” that would still remain undeclared by the Buddha and meanwhile that person would die.
Whether the view is held that the world is eternal or not, Malunkyaputta, there is still birth, old age, death, grief, suffering, sorrow and despair – and these can be destroyed in this life! I have not explained these other things because they are not useful, they are not conducive to tranquility and Nirvana. What I have explained is suffering, the cause of suffering, the destruction of suffering and the path that leads to the destruction of suffering. This is useful, leading to non-attachment, the absence of passion, perfect knowledge.”
Thus spoke the Buddha, and with joy Malunkyaputta applauded his words.
The Parable of the Poison Arrow (Majjhima-nikaya, Sutta 63)
When I first read this passage, I was deep in thought, struggling to find some “truth” that would answer my questions of why we are here? what are we expected of? is there an afterlife? is there a creator? I had read literally thousands upon thousands of pages regarding some definitive path that I should follow (I say in terms of pages because I read the Gospels, which aren’t really books). I succumbed myself to the best authors for Christianity out there, like C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel (both are past atheists turned Christians) in order to find that truth which I sought. Alas, when I read this simple parable all of my digging through piles of religious propaganda and texts gradually deceased to remain a priority in my life. Why was this so? Had I found the answer I had been searching desperately for? (i.e. a truth which I could stand firm on, whether atheism or Christianity or Agnosticism?) Indeed, I did not find that truth which I sought, but what I did find is a simple parable that related the futility of such “quests for knowledge.” Simply put, whether I answer those questions or not, I will die none the less, and why search when I could live? What I mean, is living life rather than searching for its answers. In conclusion, whether there is a life after death, whether prayers are heard, whether some omnipotent god looms in the heavens, whether I will go to hell or heaven, whether there is reincarnation/rebirth/transmigration, all of these things are irrelevant to me. My priority is making this the best life I will have, and when I searched for answers, my life definitely didn’t fall into the “good life” category. After I came to this conclusion, I decided to try the dharma out, and what I can say is this: I have believed in God, I have read the most persuasive books about Christianity out there, I have been a New Atheist, I have been an Atheist, I have been an Agnostic (which is usually what I do refer myself as) but in the end it was my interpretation of the Buddha’s perspective that won me over, that is, the doctrine (dharma practice) that provided me with the most happiness. I try to incorporate this into my daily life, and will continue to, and that is why I not only consider myself a Buddhist, but also refer to myself as a “Buddhaist”, for I do not consider my path to be the common Buddhist path, but that path of which I believe the Buddha relayed to the masses across India.
