Once a farmer asked Buddha: "Why don’t you do something good? "

He continued, "See, I cultivate the land, I create something; but you simply sit under the tree with closed eyes, doing nothing. I have been watching you. People come to you, you talk to them or sometimes they sit silently by your side. Why don’t you do something creative?"

This simpleton farmer was naturally curious; he had been watching Buddha sitting under a tree just by the side of his farm, with people coming, going, and no visible work happening.

Buddha said, "Can't you see that I am also a farmer? Sure, my farm is of a different quality, on a different plane, but I sow the seeds and helps the crops grow. The people who come around and sit silently, or to whom I sometimes talk -- they are my work. I am sowing seeds in people’s consciousness, and when the conditions ripen, they will bloom."

After a pause, it is said that the Buddha looked into the farmer's eyes with a penetrating gaze. "Look into my eyes. My seeds have bloomed, because I cultivated my inner soil. It is full of flowers."

And it is said that as the farmer looked into Buddha’s eyes, he took a vow of becoming a monk. The farmer said, “Oh, now, I see that I've only been cultivating my outer soil. Please teach me how to cultivate my inner soil."