Buddha had disciples and he wished to send them out into the
world to teach, so he asked them questions to see if they were prepared as he
would have them be. “When you go to the East and to the West,” said the Buddha,
“and the people shut their doors to you and refuse to speak to you, what will
you do?”—The disciples answered and said: “We shall be very thankful that they
do us no harm.”—“Then if they do you harm and mock, what will you do?”—“We
shall be very thankful that they do not give us worse treatment.”—“If they
throw you into prison?”—“We shall still be grateful that they do not kill
us.”—“What if they were to kill you?” the Master asked for the last time.
“Still,” answered the disciples, “we will be thankful, for they cause us to be
martyrs. What more glorious fate is there than this, to die for the glory of
God?” And the Buddha said: “Well done!”
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Notes of conversations;
‘Abdu’l-Baha in London’)
