029 - I will reply to you tomorrow

There is a story about the sufi fakir - Junaid. If someone cursed him or called him names he would say, "Tomorrow I will come and reply." The next day he would go and say, "Now no reply is needed." If the person would ask, "Yesterday I called you names, why did you not reply then and there? You are a strange man. Normally if a person is called names he replies immediately, does not hesitate even for a moment."

Junaid said, "My guru taught me that if you quickly reply then you will become unconscious, so let some time pass. If someone calls you names and you reply immediately your reply would have been made in unconsciousness, because the bitterness has enveloped you, the heat is in your head, the smoke is in your eyes. Give twenty four hours time, then reply."

Junaid also said that his guru was a very clever fellow, because since then I have not been able to reply.

Do you think that if a person waits for twenty four hours, he can still get angry? Why, even after twenty four minutes would anger be still there? Even twenty four seconds later anger is not possible! The truth is that even if for one second the person waits, and becomes aware, then anger is impossible.

source: Stories from Here and There, Ekalavya Education Foundation - By: Sunil Handa - http://www.eklavya.org/storyhere.html