“Drop It” – A Lesson from Buddha

A wealthy merchant came to see Gautam Buddha. He brought a very valuable jewel as an offering and went near Buddha to give it to him. Buddha simply said, “Drop it.”

The merchant was surprised, but he obeyed and dropped the jewel. Then he brought another offering—a beautiful rose flower—and again tried to give it to Buddha. Buddha once more said, “Drop it.” The merchant dropped the flower too.

Now the merchant had nothing left to offer. When Buddha again said, “Drop it,” the merchant became confused. Suddenly, he understood the meaning. He realized that Buddha was not asking him to drop objects, but to drop his ego, attachment, and sense of “I” and “mine.”

With this understanding, the merchant bowed before Buddha with humility and inner surrender. Buddha then explained that true surrender does not mean giving wealth or things; it means giving up ego, pride, and attachment. Only when a person surrenders the self completely does real peace and wisdom arise.

Message:

True surrender is not about giving material things, but about letting go of ego and attachment from within.