How can we help? (№ 285238)

Was this really the case or not - no one really knows, but the parable says that once the Buddha and his disciples are going across the field and saw the farmer an ox fell into a big hole. The farmer went into the pit and tried to pull the ox, but he did not succeed.
Then the Buddha commanded his disciples to help the farmer. The disciples jumped into the pit, helped the farmer to pull out the ox and went on together with the Buddha.
After a while they saw a similar situation: the ox fell into the pit, and the farmer was sitting on the edge of the pit, and wept bitterly. Buddha looked at him and, without saying a word, went further.
The disciples were surprised and asked:
- Teacher, teacher, why haven't you ordered us to help this peasant?
The Buddha looked at his disciples and asked them:
- What kind of help? To help cry?