Once, the Buddha wandered from place to place till he reached Uruvela. On his way he sat down in a grove to rest. In that same grove was a party of thirty friends who were enjoying themselves and while they were sporting, some of their goods were stolen. Then the whole party went in search of the thief and, meeting the Buddha sitting under a tree, saluted him and said, “O Lord, did you see the thief pass by with our goods?” The Buddha said, “What is better for you: go in search for the thief or for yourselves?” The youths cried, “In search for ourselves!” “Well then,” said the Buddha, “sit down and I will preach the truth to you.” And the whole party sat down and they listened eagerly to the words of the Blessed One.
Moral: We should take every opportunity to improve ourselves.
