A Lotus Leaf

This is one of the most enlightening stories on Buddha’s life.

One day one of Buddha’s sannyasins was passing through a street where he had gone to beg. The most beautiful woman of that town, the prostitute of the town, fell in love with the monk. She came down out of her house and requested the monk to come and reside with her. And soon the rainy season was coming so the prostitute said, ”Why don’t you stay with me during the rainy season?

For four months, during the rainy season, monks don’t move, so you will have to stay somewhere, you will have to find some shelter – why not with me?”
He said, ”Perfectly okay. I will just have to ask my Master, ask his permission. If he says yes, tomorrow morning I will be present at your door.”
The prostitute could not believe the way the monk said it so simply. He said, ”Perfectly okay. I have to stay somewhere. I just have to ask my Master; it is just a formal request because that is the way. I have to tell him that a certain woman has requested that I stay with her. Can I stay with her?”

Other monks heard about this, and of course ,they were jealous. It was impossible to tolerate. This was too much! But they waited – they waited because they thought Buddha would absolutely say no. A sannyasin, and staying with a prostitute?!

And when the monk asked Buddha, Buddha looked at the monk and said, ”Perfectly right! You can stay with her.”
Now others stood up and they said, ”This is not fair! And do you see the risk? This is a young man, and that woman is almost a magician. Even great kings are trapped by her, and this young man is almost innocent. She is not interested in giving him shelter, she has become lustful towards his beautiful body. And you say yes?”

Buddha said, ”You wait! We will decide who is right after four months. Let him go and let him stay with the woman.”
Those four months looked very long for the other monks. It was really difficult to wait, and they knew that Buddha was going to be proved wrong – for four months living with that woman? She could not leave this monk, she would seduce him; it was absolutely certain. And after four months the monk came back and touched Budha’s feet. The others said, ”Now tell the truth – what happened?”
And the monk said, ”Just wait a few minutes, because the woman is coming and it will be better to
hear it from the horse’s mouth herself.”
And the woman went and she touched Buddha’s feet, and she asked to be initiated into sannyas.
Buddha said, ”Why?”
She said, ”I tried to seduce him, but I failed. He seduced me! He seduced me into sannyas! For four months I tried every possible way, but he remained like a lotus leaf. I would dance naked around him and he would meditate! I have never failed in my life, this is the first time. For the first time ,I am impressed by a man, for the first time I have encountered a man! Up to now ,I had seen only slaves.
They may have been great kings but they all touched the dust of my feet. This is the only man I have seen who remained like a lotus leaf I tried every possible way – good food, beautiful room, beautiful clothes, beautiful bed, every possible comfort for him – and he would never say no! – but I failed. I could not distract him. And he used to laugh at me. I would dance my most cherished dances and I would start throwing my clothes away, waiting, now some lust might arise in his eyes – but never!

He would laugh and giggle, and he would say,’What are you doing? And it is too cold, you may catch
cold!’ He has transformed me. Now I would like to become the same, a lotus leaf.”