Among the Buddhist legends there is a famous one called "The Allegory of the Poison Arrow.”
Ancient Indian philosophers were posing such questions as “Is the universe finite or infinite?” and “What is the essence of the soul?”
Shakyamuni did not participate in these debates. Instead he dealt with the sufferings of life. One of his disciples, who was critical of his attitude, asked the master why.
Shakyamuni replied:
Suppose a man has a poison arrow in his body. A doctor is sent for immediately. But what happened if you make the doctor wait while you find out “who shot it?” “What kind of bow was used?” “What is the arrow made of?”
The wounded man would die before all these questions were answered. The important thing is to remove the arrow immediately. The same is true of what is going on right now. No amount of abstract discussion will resolve the suffering of life. What is most important is to determine the cause of the suffering and to find a means to eliminate it.
I think that the compassion of Buddhism is clearly evident in this story can almost hear Shakyamuni telling his disciples that the truth of life is right here in our immediate surroundings, and not to be found in meaningless theoretical discussions.
