Siddhartha and the Bowl of Compassion

One day, Siddhartha was walking through a village on the edge of the forest.

The people had heard about him and came to meet him.

They brought food offerings—rice, fruit, vegetables, and bread.

Among them was a man who meant well,

but did not know the customs of the Sangha.

He brought meat as an offering.

A woman whispered to him:

“Siddhartha's community lives without meat.”

The man was startled and wanted to understand for himself.

Hesitantly, he approached Siddhartha and said:

“Master, I have brought meat for you.”

Siddhartha looked at him calmly and motioned for him to sit down.

The man, now sitting next to him, asked quietly:

“Master... isn't food just food?”

Siddhartha gently set the bowl aside and said calmly:

"Everything that lives seeks happiness and fears pain.

How could my path lead to liberation

if it rests on the suffering of another being?"

The man objected:

“But the world is full of suffering. Can we escape it all?”

Siddhartha looked into the forest,

where a deer stood among the trees.

"We cannot prevent all suffering.

But we can prevent

becoming the cause ourselves."

The man asked quietly:

“Is that the path to awakening?”

Siddhartha nodded.

"Those who satisfy their own hunger may become full.

Those who respect the suffering of others nourish the heart."

The man bowed his head.

From that day on, he chose food that preserved life instead of taking it.