a Buddhist parable

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A man is shot with a poisoned arrow

The arrow piercing his flesh, the man wants answers. What kind of arrow is it? What kind of poison is it? Who shot it? What feathers are on the arrow, a peacock or a hawk?

the questions miss the point, the Buddha tells his disciple. What’s important is pulling out the arrow, and tending to the wound.

“We need to be moved by the pain of all of the suffering. But it is important that we are not paralyzed by it,” “It makes us value life because we understand life is precious, life is short, it can be over so quickly.”