Appearances can be deceptive

I was walking when I spotted that dark, stout man. He did not have a friendly look. “Beware,” alerted my mind. I moved faster, checking whether my purse and mobile were in my pocket. A few seconds later, I saw him trailing me. I walked faster. He did too. He was almost chasing me now.

“Take the bull by the horns,” said my inner voice.

I turned abruptly.

“Kya chahiye?" (What do you want?)

“Your money fell from your pocket.”

He thrust a 10 dirham note, smiled and walked away, even before I could murmur “Thanks.”

It was stupid of me to judge someone by outward appearance.

It reminded me of the Buddha story.

Some Tibetan monks were informed that a highway was being built and they had to relocate their shrine. A crane was brought to lift the huge clay Buddha. The figurine began to crack. A larger crane was needed, but that would arrive only the next day.

A storm was building at night and water began leaking from the roof. The monks tried to protect the clay Buddha from getting wet, but their attempts failed. It was then that the head priest noticed something strange. Amid the cracking clay, something was shining. The monks chiseled the clay carefully and what appeared stunned them. There stood an amazing gold Buddha.

As they say, there is a golden heart inside every human being (especially those visiting this blog!), covered by layers of clay in the form of ignorance.