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The Buddha And The 2nd Arrow

Name: The Buddha And The 2nd Arrow
Uploaded: 2025-07-19T20:45:10+00:00
Duration: 29 s
Channel: Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP
Description: In this brief spoken reflection, the speaker recounts the Buddha’s parable of the first and second arrow. The Buddha asks a student whether a single…

19 Jul 2025 · 0 min

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In this brief spoken reflection, the speaker recounts the Buddha’s parable of the first and second arrow. The Buddha asks a student whether a single arrow would hurt, to which the student affirms. He then asks if a second arrow shot into the same spot would also hurt, and the student again says yes. The speaker interprets the first arrow as the inevitable hardships and suffering that life brings—events we cannot control. The second arrow represents the additional mental anguish we add by reacting with self‑judgment, rumination, or resistance. The teaching highlights that while we cannot avoid the first arrow, we can choose not to fire the second, thereby reducing unnecessary suffering.

Did you tell me the story of Buddha and the second arrow? No. So the Buddha was trying to teach a lesson and he says, if I shoot you with an arrow, does it hurt? And you know, the student was like, yes, it would be hurtful. And so he says, okay, if I were to shoot you with a second arrow in the same spot after the first arrow, would that hurt? And he said, yes. He said, the first arrow is life. We're going to have bad seasons, bad moments, bad days. You can't avoid the first arrow. He said, but the second arrow is you. And that one you can avoid.