The two most famous Arrow Parables in Buddhism
The Poison Arrow Parable illustrates the importance of directly addressing suffering rather than getting caught up in endless metaphysical speculations. The Two Arrows Parable teaches us that while pain is unavoidable, unnecessary mental suffering due to attachment and aversion is optional.
The Poison Arrow Parable
A follower asked Buddha to tell him the answers of some metaphysical questions (e.g. Spirit and Body: Are they the same? Are they different? Are they both the same and different? Or are they neither the same nor different?) or else he will leave the Buddha.
The Buddha replied :
“If someone wants to obtain the answers to these questions before willing to pursue a path of purity, they may never find the answers even until the end of their life. It’s like someone being struck by a poisoned arrow, and their loved ones urgently try to find a doctor to treat them. However, the person insists that they should not have the arrow removed or receive treatment until they have thoroughly investigated the race, name, height, skin color, residence of the archer, as well as the materials and manufacturing process of the bow, string, arrowhead, shaft, and feathers……As a result, before these questions are thoroughly investigated, that person would have already lost their life.”
- It’s used by the Buddha to illustrate the importance of directly addressing suffering rather than getting caught up in endless metaphysical speculations.
- However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Buddha ignores all metaphysical questions.
- In the context, he was answering a question raised by of one of his followers , who said that he would leave Buddha if he couldn’t get the answer. The follower was making the question more important than the question of the path to enlightenment, that is why Buddha told him to ignore those questions.
- I am interested in those metaphysical questions myself, and I don’t think that they hinder my path to enlightenment. But I think that human beings may not have the abilities to process the answer to those questions. That’s like explaining calculus to a baby, which is impossible.
The Two Arrows Parable
Buddha asked the bhikkhus,
“Ordinary people and the enlightened ones both face three kinds of feelings – pain, pleasure, and neither painful nor pleasant. But do you know how they each confront these three feelings with different mindsets?”
The bhikkhus replied, “Oh Buddha! Please explain to us.”
“When an ordinary person encounters physical pain, even to the point of being on the verge of death, they involuntarily become filled with sorrow and grief, or they complain and cry, then become angry and chaotic until they lose rationality. They are bound by the affliction of “hatred” and are unaware; when they encounter pleasant things, they indulge in pleasure and celebrate wildly. They are restrained by the affliction of “greed” and do not realize it; even in a state of neither suffering nor pleasure, they are unclear and confused, bound by the affliction of “delusion” and unaware…..Physical and mental feelings will grow and spread, just like a person hit by a poison arrow, and then immediately hit by a second poison arrow at the same spot, undoubtedly it is double the suffering and pain.
- For the enlightened ones, when suffering arises, they only let the painful feeling stay in the physical, they will not let the heart also be stained, they will not become slaves to hateful afflictions; similarly, when pleasure arises, they will not dance with it; when the state of neither pain nor pleasure arises, the heart will not be dragged by the affliction of ignorance. The enlightened ones have been liberated from the bondage of the afflictions of greed, hatred, and ignorance, they will not let themselves be hit by the second poison arrow.”
- If a person being hit by a arrow, and then immediately being struck by a second poison arrow in the same spot. Undoubtedly, it’s a doubling of suffering and pain.
- The moral is that while pain is unavoidable, unnecessary mental suffering due to attachment and aversion is optional.
Sometimes, happy experiences may lead to sad ones. I have run seven marathons. I am not a professional runner but I trained hard. My PB is 3 hour 35 mins. I try hard to break the barrier of 3hr 30 mins but never succeed. At the first five marathons, I makes PB each year and get numerous medals and trophies in some local 10k races. But then, no matter how hard I try, my performance was deteriorating, running 🏃♂️ 🏃♂️ is no longer my favourite sport. I threw away all my medals and trophies and feeling upset. Later, I accept the reality that for someone who is over 50, it is an inevitable fact that running performance will deteriorate. My second arrow was removed.
In life, pain is inevitable, the first arrow is suffering, the second is our reaction; remember that we have the ability to control the second, which is optional. We shouldn’t make our own suffering worse by continue to hurt by it (Second Arrow)
When I failed my first university entrance examination , I was initially devastated (the first arrow). However, I refused to be hit by the “second arrow” of self-criticism and labeling myself as “useless” or “stupid”. Instead, I understood this failure as an opportunity to learn and grow, not as a measure of my worth. I committed to studying harder, refining my study strategies. This effort led to my success in the subsequent entrance examination.
Suggestions :
Unfortunately, in reality, many people may let the arrows continue to hurt them the third time, the fourth time,… They can be haunted by the past bitter experiences. They always recall the bad experience and can’t let it go.
The Buddha teaches us to meet each moment, whether good or bad, with equanimity and presence of mind. One who has cultivated mindfulness and develop detachment , experience the inevitable pain without adding extra mental suffering on top of that.
- Cultivate mindfulness: Practice being fully present in each moment, observing your thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations without judgment. This awareness can help you recognize when attachment or aversion arise and allow you to respond skillfully.
- Develop detachment: Reflect on the impermanence nature of all experiences, including pain and pleasure. By understanding that everything is subject to change, you can cultivate a sense of detachment and reduce the grip of attachment and aversion. Rather than getting carried away by the highs and lows, aim to maintain equanimity by recognizing that all experiences arise and pass away. Otherwise, the first “😄 🏹“ may become a second “😟🏹”
If you enjoyed this piece, please click the 👏 button below, and any comments are welcome.
