This is a story which again shows
how we build our own stories, create our own baggage, and then carry its burden
It's about two monks who are going
from one monastery to another and are walking through a forest. They soon come
across a stream that’s flowing strong due to the unseasonal rains at the time. There’s
this young woman sitting by the bank, apparently scared of crossing the stream.
She hesitantly asks one of the monks if he could help her across the stream. The monk says, ‘sorry, but
as you can I am a monk and I have the wow of chastity, so I cannot help you’.
And then he's surprised to hear the other monk say, 'it’s okay, get on my back and I’ll help
you cross'.
The second monk carries her
across, sets her down on the other bank, and the monks continue their journey
in silence. They walk on for over two hours, before they reach the monastery.
After dinner, the first monk seeks
out his companion monk and says ‘I can’t stand this anymore, so I have to ask; how
could you touch that woman, actually carry her, when you know it’s
against our rules.’
The second monk turns to the first one, puts his hand on his shoulder and says ‘you see, I dropped her on
the other bank of the stream, but you are still carrying her’
No comments:
Post a Comment