The Buddha and The Crystal Tree.

The Buddha once came across a man and offered him the gift of enlightenment and it came in the form of a most beautiful crystal tree that the man could hold, as it was small and hand sized.

The Buddha told the man," whenever you wish to feel the ecstasy of true enlightenment just pick up and hold the crystal tree that I have manifested for you as a gift from me to you". The man left having thanked the Buddha for his gift.

The man revelled in his gift from the Buddha for some time, until a shop opened in his village selling crystal trees identical to the one the Buddha had given to the man.

All around him the man saw other villagers carrying crystal trees the same as his and all the villagers said when they held the tree they felt as if they were 'enlightened'.

This sent the man into a rage as he felt it could not be so as his crystal tree had been given to him by someone no less than the Buddha himself and theirs had come only from some cheap shop.

The man went around the village for years protesting his crystal tree and hence his enlightenment derived from it was more true and more real than theirs. 

As the years past so did the man's anger grow.

One day the Buddha reappeared to the man and asked how he was getting on with his relationship to the crystal tree and the enlightenment it brought with it.

The man told the Buddha his story, about the shop selling Crystal tree versions  of the small one the Buddha had given to him and how it was not possible for the cheap versions to bring enlightenment to the many villagers other than himself as only a divinely manifested Crystal Tree from the hand  of the Buddha himself, could invest such power.

The Buddha smiled at the man and said,

"My friend these other people believe so strongly that their copies of the crystal tree will bring them enlightenment. Such is the power of belief and the mind itself, so it is true for them. For what they experience is real to them and  no different than it is to you."

"However, the true power of my gift to you, and the gift they never received from me was the insight that my gift is now bringing unto you."

"My gift is bringing to the surface of your awareness the anger that you have long since carried for many lifetimes, very clear often to others but not to yourself. This anger is as dangerous potentially, as the sword or the knife were you to always carry such a weapon. Yet you choose not to, as you have experienced enlightenment. In such a way anger itself can be deadly to both the bearer and the victim of its actions. This anger can skulk as a thief in the night when you are not watching and bring misery into the lives of many whom it may touch near or far. But first to vanquish and let go of such a snake. It must appear clearly to you."

"Then when such a snake, in this case, your anger, which has long been largely invisible to you as you have become so used to it having carried it for so many lifetimes, yet clear to see to those around you. Now you have the opportunity to release your anger and touch deeper enlightenment that your heart truly yearns for".

"Use your awareness to watch out for it, to see it is truly within you....see also how it does not serve you but holds you, prisoner, as you do it. Then through divine grace may it depart from your being and no longer will it hold power over you stealing peace from your life."

Namaste.