The brahmin Bharadvāja the Rude heard a rumor that a brahmin of the Bharadvāja clan had gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in the presence of the ascetic Gotama. Angry and displeased he went to the Buddha and abused and insulted him with rude, harsh words. When he had spoken, the Buddha said to him:
“What do you think, brahmin? Do friends and colleagues, relatives and family members, and guests still come to visit you?”
“Sometimes they do, Master Gotama.”
“Do you then serve them with a variety of foods and savories?”
“Sometimes I do.”
“But if they don’t accept it, brahmin, who does it belong to?”
“In that case it still belongs to me.”
“In the same way, brahmin, when you abuse, harass, and attack us who do not abuse, harass, and attack, we don’t accept it. It still belongs to you, brahmin, it still belongs to you!
Someone who, when abused, harassed, and attacked, abuses, harasses, and attacks in return is said to eat the food and have a reaction to it. But we neither eat your food nor do we have a reaction to it. It still belongs to you, brahmin, it still belongs to you!”
Suppose there was a large lake, and along comes a bull elephant with a height of seven or eight cubits. He’d think, ‘Why don’t I plunge into this lake and play around while washing my ears and back? When I’ve bathed and emerged from the water, I’ll come out and go wherever I want.’ And that’s just what he does. Why is that? Because his large life-form finds a footing in the depths.
Then along comes a rabbit or a cat. They’d think, ‘What difference is there between me and a bull elephant? Why don’t I plunge into this lake and play around while washing my ears and back? When I’ve bathed and drunk, I’ll emerge from the water and go wherever I want.’ They jump into the lake rashly, without thinking. You can expect that they’ll sink down or float away. Why is that? Because their little life-form finds no footing in the depths. If someone should say this, ‘Though I don’t have immersion, I’m going to frequent remote lodgings in the wilderness and the forest.’ You can expect that they’ll sink down or float away.
In short, it means that we judge people according to which body parts are hidden under their lower robe. And then treat them differently depending on what we see there… We see them as inferior (women), or reject them altogether (gender non-conforming people). We cause huge amounts of suffering and create obstacles for practice of good people, who were inspired enough by the dhamma to want to join the sangha.
Yodha… did you consider having the 5th picture include swimming for the shore (on the “raft”) using all four hands and feet - the four right efforts? This is an image from Ajahn Sona’s teaching, and maybe even originally in the suttas?
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