Buddha story | The mirror within | buddha quote

 

The Mirror Within

Ayaan had always carried anger like a fire in his chest. Life had been unfair to him—his childhood was rough, his dreams crushed under the weight of responsibilities, and his heart scarred by betrayals. He built walls around himself, pushing people away before they could hurt him. His words were sharp, his actions cold. He believed that the world was cruel, and so he had to be crueler.
One evening, while walking through a quiet village, he came across an old temple. It wasn’t the temple itself that caught his attention, but the lone figure seated on its steps—an elderly monk, with a serene smile and eyes that held the depth of an ocean.
"You seem troubled, son," the monk said gently.
Ayaan scoffed. "What difference does it make? The world is full of pain, and people only know how to hurt. I just learned to do it before they could."
The monk studied him for a moment and then gestured for him to sit. "Let me tell you a story."

Ayaan hesitated but found himself sitting beside the old man.
"Once, there was a man who despised his reflection. Every time he looked into the mirror, he saw anger, disappointment, and bitterness staring back. Unable to bear it, he shattered every mirror he came across, believing that if he destroyed them, he could escape his reflection. But no matter how many mirrors he broke, his reflection remained unchanged. Until one day, he met a wise woman who told him, 'The mirror only shows what is within you. If you wish to see something different, you must change what is inside.'"
The monk looked at Ayaan. "You see, the world is a mirror. The cruelty you see is a reflection of the pain you carry inside. If you heal yourself, you will no longer see the world as a place of hurt but as a place of love."
Ayaan was silent. For the first time, he saw himself through different eyes—not as a warrior against the world, but as a wounded soul who had never learned to love himself.
That night, he looked at his reflection in the river’s still waters. He did not shatter it or turn away. Instead, he whispered, "I forgive you."
And in that moment, something within him began to change.
Years later, the people of the village spoke of a kind man who helped others heal, whose presence was like a calm breeze. They never knew the battle he had once fought within himself, nor the monk who had planted the seed of change in his heart. But Ayaan knew. And every time he looked into a mirror, he no longer saw anger—he saw peace.
For he had finally learned: if you truly love yourself, you could never hurt another