Little anecdotes

The leaves shed from the tree unto the earth. They were walking through the woods together and Ananda became more and more anxious with every step he took. Gaotama sensed that there was tension in the air and stopped and looked at him with a smile.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Ananda?"

Shocked, he lifted his head turning his attention away from the dried leaves on the ground of which he was stepping on, and gazed into the eyes of Gaotama, so full of compassion.

"Yes master, I have a burning question. I have not dared to ask because you were always surrounded by people, I know they need your guidance more than I do, thus I wait. But now that we're alone I would like to ask you this question."

"What is it that you want to ask me?" says Gaotama.

"Did you tell us everything that you knew, or is there something else that you're not saying?"

Gaotama just smiled and bent down towards the earth and picked up a bunch of dried leaves in his hands then showed it to Ananda.

"You see this bunch of dried leaves?"
"Yes?" Ananda replied anxiously.
"I have but told you this much, yet there is a forest full of dried leaves that I did not say."

Feeling disappointed, Ananda asked, "why master?"

"Because you couldn't even understand this much, what is the point of telling you everything?"