A Curious Buddha Story

This is my first article and from time to time I like to tell stories, especially ones that has a lesson or wisdom to gain from it. So here is my first Buddha story.

Back in the olden days, people didn’t look to government or the police; they depended on soothsayers, shaman or medicine doctors, and even Buddhist monks (also known as Buddhas). So one fateful day a man garbed in loose dark clothing with a warm hat was running through the crowd being chased by guards who worked for the king. After chasing and continuously working hard to track him down, they managed to get four witnesses to have the public be able to identify him. To make sure the witnesses weren’t lying, the guards hired a very powerful shaman doctor who specialized in truth and magic. Each witness was questioned individually and not within earshot of each other.

The first witness said to the guards, “I saw a very scary man who had a scar on his face and he was tall and thin, dressed poorly, and was violently shouting his way through the crowd.”
The second witness said, “This man was tall but he was medium build and there was a piece of hair on his face like a crescent moon dressed in dark clothing.”
The third witness said, “He was tall like my son. He almost hit me. I only reached his shoulders. And he carried something like a bag with some metal tools because it was clinking when he ran. His nose was angular and he looked brutish with a rather pale face.”
The fourth witness said, “He was very handsome and smelled of whiskey and cologne. It’s very often that men of that stature could be found in the red district of town.”

Now after their testamonies, the guards were summoned before the king and left the shaman doctor by himself until they returned. Just then a Buddha stepped out. And smiled at the shaman doctor and said “Hi there. It looks like this is your bigshot to become famous in the court of the king and secure your future.” The shaman was extremely happy. He blurted out boisterously, “yes, I know who he is. The man is the son of one of my neighbors and everyone knows it but the king needs a witness to recommend his integrity to the public. That thief murdered one of the king’s men.”

The Buddha looks at the shaman doctor and says very quietly, “But you know he was innocent. As a matter of fact, it was one of your sons who falsely sent him to prison for five years and that day was the day he escaped. He had to kill in self defense.” The shaman looked scared but once again chortled, “But no one knows. And you can’t prove it.”

The Buddha says, “But I know that your son is sleeping with the Queen and that would make the King very unhappy.”
The shaman doctor asked him, “What do you want? I don’t want my son to die.”

Buddha says, “tell the truth. The first witness didn’t give a good description as the area he ran through there doesn’t have enough light so his story isn’t valid. The second witness is a bit blind and didn’t have his glasses on that day. The third witness is closest, but who wants a wanted man by the king to look like their son? The fourth witness is lying. She wants revenge against an ex lover…it is very easy for you to forget this whole thing and save that young man.”

The shaman doctor agreed…and vilified those 4 witnesses in the end AND the innocent man lived in freedom.

Moral of the story: if it doesn’t come from Buddha, it’s probably not very close to the truth. Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Thank you for reading.