The Buffalo Who Would Not Be Provoked

A mischievous monkey took to tormenting a patient old buffalo grazing peacefully each day — pulling his tail, throwing small stones, blocking his path — purely for his own amusement. The buffalo, understanding the monkey's antics were harmless in the end, simply ignored every provocation and continued grazing calmly, refusing to give the monkey the reaction he was clearly fishing for.

A forest spirit, watching this daily torment, asked the buffalo why he tolerated such disrespect without response. "If I chase him," the buffalo explained, "I waste my own energy and dignity on something too small to matter, and he'll simply provoke someone else instead. My patience costs me nothing, and it denies him the satisfaction he's hunting for."

Curious what would happen otherwise, the same monkey later tried his tricks on a different, younger buffalo known for his short temper. That buffalo charged furiously at every provocation, wasting his strength chasing the nimble monkey uselessly through the trees, growing exhausted and humiliated while the monkey escaped easily each time, delighted by the reaction he'd gotten. The forest spirit understood then exactly what the old buffalo's patience had truly been protecting.