old-path-white-clouds-thich-nhat-hanh

Chapter Forty-Seven
Follow the Dharma
Beneath the sal tree, the Buddha enjoyed ease, peace, and joy. It was a lovely forest of green hills, clear springs, and a lake. The Buddha
enjoyed the solitude. He thought of the bhikkhus in Kosambi living in conflict. Even the lay disciples had been disturbed. He felt sad that the
bhikkhus were unwilling to listen to his guidance, but he understood that their minds were clouded by anger.
The Buddha encountered many animals in Rakkhita Forest, including a family of elephants. The eldest female, the matriarch queen, often
led the younger elephants to the lake to bathe. She taught them how to drink the cool water and eat water lilies. The Buddha watched how
she grasped a bunch of lilies with her trunk and rinsed them in the water in order to shake off any mud still clinging to them. The little
elephants imitated her.
The elephants grew fond of the Buddha and became his friends. Sometimes the queen picked fruit and offered it to the Buddha. The
Buddha liked to pat the heads of the elephant calves, and he often walked with them down to the lake. He liked to listen to the queen’s
majestic call. It sounded like a great trumpet. He practiced until he could imitate her call perfectly. Once when the queen called out, he also
gave a great trumpeting call. She gazed at him and then came and knelt before him as if to bow. The Buddha gently stroked her head.
Sometimes the elephant queen picked fruit and offered it to the Buddha.