Reading guide
Provocation repeated, not sudden
Unlike a single dramatic threat, this story's provocation is prolonged: the monkey soils the buffalo's shoulder, forehead, and eyebrows ‘not just that day, but a second, a third, and a fourth’, an ongoing harassment rather than a single insult.
A spirit's advice, refused
A spirit watching the harassment tells the buffalo directly to kill the monkey with his horns and hooves. The buffalo's reply reframes the question: acting on the anger would mean ‘degrading himself’ and violating his ethics — the monkey's wrongdoing does not license the buffalo's own.
A striking line about dying clean
The buffalo states his position plainly: ‘better to die from purity than live in shame’, followed by a direct question — ‘how could I, for the sake of life, harm another?’ — treating his own survival as something that does not automatically outweigh causing harm.
A prediction, not just a principle
The buffalo's reasoning is not purely idealistic: he predicts that the monkey will go on to treat others the same way, and someone else will eventually kill him for it — a practical expectation that the monkey's own behavior will catch up with him, without the buffalo needing to be the one to enact it.
Key terms
The text
§1“Then again when I was a buffalo who roamed the forest, large in body and strong, big and scary to see.
§2In a cave, a craggy hillside, at a tree root or a waterhole, there’d be somewhere for buffalos, in one place or another.
§3Wandering the mighty forest, I saw a fine spot. Having gone there, I stood and lay to rest.
§4Then a monkey came along, wicked, ignoble, and nimble. On my shoulder, forehead, and eyebrows, he peed and pooed.
§5Not just that day, but a second, a third, and a fourth; he soiled me all the time, he was harrying me.
§6Seeing me being harried, a spirit said to me: ‘Kill that vile, wicked thing with your horns and hooves.’
§7When he spoke, I said this to that spirit: ‘Why would you smear me with a wicked, ignoble carcass?
§8If I were upset with him I would degrade myself, violating my ethics, and being criticized by sensible people.
§9Better to die from purity than live in shame. How could I, for the sake of life, harm another?’
§10Thinking of me, this one will do the same to others, and for that they will kill him. Then I shall be free.
§11Forgiving disrespect from the low, middle and high, the wise one gains their heart’s desire.”
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