Lord Buddha was staying in the Rajgriha. One day a visitor came to meet the Buddha.
He bowed and asked, “Lord, I have a question, I will ask you if you permit !”
The Buddha smiled and said, “Tell me, what do you want to know ?”
The stranger said, “Lord, you never go crazy. You never said a harsh word or sentences to anyone. Even when someone makes a fatal mistake to offend you, you also forgive him generously. Please tell us how did you learned this gentle, calm disposition !”
The Buddha listened with all his heart and finally called the stranger and said, “I can see your future, unfortunately you will die after seven days. So spend these last few days with your family and friend .”
The stranger was shocked to hear this saying in the Buddha’s mouth. He became depressed , bowed to the Buddha and then he left. For the next seven days, whoever he met, he spoke with a very low voice, politely, and finally apologized to everyone for his mistakes.
After seven days, the visitor came to the palace again and worshiped at the feet of Lord Buddha and said, “Lord ! This is the last day of my life. I came to you with the hope that life will end with your vision and blessing.”
The Buddha laughed and said ” how was your behavior during the past seven days ?”
The visitor said, “Very quiet and humble. Every moment I felt like that I was getting to the end a little bit. So I didn’t want to waste the rest of this little time with anger, pride etc. I have spoken to everyone very politely and calmly.”
The Buddha said, “you seem to have found the answer to your question. I could give you a straight answer. But then you just couldn’t hear, understand. We are all stepping out into this world. No one knows when his life will stop. So as long as we live, our love, peace, and anger are desirable. And yes, I told you that you would die after seven days so that you could realize it yourself. You’re not dying, stay calm.”
The stranger said, “Lord, i am blessed ! You have opened my eyes !”
( Collected)