Connected Discourses 7.3

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1. Linked Discourses 7.3
2. 1. The Perfected Ones
3. With Bhāradvāja the Fiend
4. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground.
5. The brahmin Bhāradvāja the Fiend heard a rumor to the effect that
6. a brahmin of the Bhāradvāja clan had gone forth from the lay life to homelessness in the presence of the ascetic Gotama. Angry and displeased he went to the Buddha and abused and insulted him with rude, harsh words.
7. But when he said this, the Buddha kept silent.
8. Then Bhāradvāja the Fiend said to the Buddha,
9. “You’re beaten, ascetic, you’re beaten!”
10. “‘Ha! I won!’ thinks the fool,
11. when speaking with harsh words.
12. Patience is the true victory
13. for those who understand.
14. When you get angry at an angry person
15. you just make things worse for yourself.
16. When you don’t get angry at an angry person
17. you win a battle hard to win.
18. When you know that the other is angry,
19. you act for the good of both
20. yourself and the other
21. if you’re mindful and stay calm.
22. People unskilled in Dhamma
23. consider one who heals both
24. oneself and the other
25. to be a fool.”
26. When he had spoken, Bhāradvāja the Fiend said to the Buddha,
27. “Excellent, worthy Gotama! …” …
28. And Venerable Bhāradvāja became one of the perfected.