When the Buddha was on his mission spreading his principles, he traveled to many villages in India. Once when he was camping in a village he was insulted by some people who used bad words. One of his disciples became furious and when he was about to react violently, the Buddha who was cool, advised him against abusing them. When the disciple asked him why he should not react to them, the Buddha said, “if you think there is no truth in what they said about me, then it is better we should ignore the matter. If there is truth in their allegations then we need to accept their abuses.” That is how Buddha managed the insults.




Another great personality was Mahatma Gandhi, who during his freedom fight against the British Government once, was thrown into jail. The jailor who did not know about Gandhi’s fame and power kicked Gandhi. During his term in jail, Gandhi made a beautiful pair of shoes and presented it to that jailor at the time of his release. The jailor was taken aback and when he came to know who Gandhi was, he fell at Gandhi’s feet and cried.



Everyone knows that Mother Teresa was a great friend of the sick, destitute and poverty stricken masses. This incident was in the early stages of her life, and at that time she was not too well known. While trying to raise some funds for the children in her ashram, she spread her open palm to a businessman in Kolkatha asking for a donation; the businessman became annoyed and spat on her hand. Mother Teresa calmly said, “You have given my share, now please give me something for my children who are starving.” He was moved by her reaction and cried bitterly. He donated a big amount, became Mother Teresa’s admirer, and afterwards always supported her projects.





It is amazing to note how these great people were able to put aside the insults thrown at them and get on with their mission. That is why they became great and famous.