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A man went to the Buddha insisting on answers to several questions, but the Buddha instead put a question to him: “If you were shot by a poison arrow, and a doctor was summoned to extract it, what would you do? Would you ask such questions as who shot the arrow, from which tribe did he come, who made the arrow, who made the poison, etc., or would you have the doctor immediately pull out the arrow?”

“Of course,” replied the man, “I would have the arrow pulled out as quickly as possible.” The Buddha concluded, “That is wise, for the task before us is the solving of life’s problems; until the problems are solved, these questions are of secondary importance.”