Author: 4enlightenment

I am continually searching for Spiritual Enlightenment, and along with my adopted mischievous dog Marley Moo, wander Europe, over 7,000km, on A Kindness Walk. Helping all those around us with simple Acts of Kindness.

Categories
Motivational Moral Stories

The Wise Mouse & Bouncy Tiger

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On a dusty windy road in the middle of the countryside a wise mouse is walking. He carries everything he needs on his back and is happy and content. With each small step he breaths in really experiencing his surroundings, the fresh air and the beautiful rolling countryside.

Suddenly out of seemingly nowhere a bouncy tiger comes racing along the track. The tiger skids to a halt in a rather dramatic fashion and introduces himself to the mouse.

“Hello little mouse, I am Tony the bouncy tiger, do you want to race me?”

“Hello Tony tiger, I am Micheal mouse” replied our wise little mouse “I’m not in a rush Tony and have no need of a race, sorry”

“Oh come on” replies Tony bouncing up and down as he does so “it will be awesome”

“Sorry Tony, rushing around everywhere isn’t my thing, I like to breath in my surroundings and become present in the moment, I’m afraid running around we miss so much”

“Ohhhhhh please” replies Tony even more animated and bouncy

Our wise mouse has a little think to himself and decides the only way is to entertain the bouncy tiger’s idea of a race. And finally agrees.

Tony gets even more excited at the news and is uncontrollably bouncing around on the start line.

“So where do we race too” asks the little wise mouse

“Let’s race to the beautiful old tree, a few miles away” replies Tony “last one there smells like rotten cabbage”

The countdown begins

“3…..2…..1….. Go” shouts the mouse

The Tiger set off like a jet airplane leaving a cloud of dust as he goes, before long he is way out of sight and over the hill leaving our mouse far behind.

Back at the start line the dust finally settles and our little wise mouse picks up his rucksack and slowly sets off along the dirt road. Before long our mouse is happily enjoying the moment once again. Breathing in he becomes present, happy and content.

Far far ahead Tony the bouncy tiger is beginning to feel tired, the beautiful old tree is a lot further than he first thought. However he soon finds himself standing next to the old tree and feeling very triumphant indeed. The fast run has taken its effect and our Tiger is feeling sleepy and so decides to take a nap, safely in the knowledge a little mouses legs could never beat a tiger.

Meanwhile at the back of the race our little wise mouse is quietly enjoying his stroll when he meets a lovely rabbit who has just made a fresh pot of herbal tea. He stays for a while before moving onwards where he then meets a lovely squirrel who shares her lunch. Feeling refreshed and energised our little mouse continues along the dusty road with an open heart, present in the moment. His next encounter is with a travelling band who play him a song as entertainment followed by a badger who teaches him a magic trick.

Finally our little mouse comes to the beautiful old tree where the bouncy tiger is still fast asleep.

After gently awakening the tiger the little mouse recounts his day and all about the lovely people he met along his journey. The tiger listened intently and is completely taken aback how many people and how much fun the little mouse has had along the very same road the tiger had come.

“How is it little mouse that I met no one and you had all this fun?” asked the tiger “even though we both took the same path”

“Because tiger your always in such a rush, bouncing around here and there and never really appreciating the moment your in” replied the mouse “You chose to run as fast as you could and to the destination, I chose to enjoy the journey, the fresh air, the countryside and my surroundings I was walking in. This gave me time to meet others and share in there joy and happiness. It isn’t the destination that’s important, yes it may be our final goal, it’s the journey however that’s truly important, it’s this very journey that makes and shapes our very lives it moulds us into who we are”

“Wow little mouse that is profound and it makes total sense to me. I’m going to from now on slow down and smell the roses, I’m going to enjoy the journey more than where I’m trying to get too.”

And together the little wise mouse and the bouncy Tiger slowly walked off together along the dusty road, each enjoying the moment and the journey they were on.

Author: Dhamma Tāpasā

Moral of the Story:

We all seem to live more and more hectic and busy lives, rushing from one task to the next never really taking enough time to appreciate and enjoy the simpler aspects of life. If you feel you are living your life like that of our tiger, at a hundred miles an hour and always busy. Then it’s time to stop and smell the roses. It’s time to look out for yourself and reconnect with the joys and delights of simplicity. Remember it’s the not the destination that’s all important in life but the journey it takes for us to get there.

Categories
Motivational Moral Stories

The little Boy who was Cursed to Breath fire

One day not so long ago there lived a very angry little boy. Everything in life and everything about life made him angry. The more angry he became the more frustrated he became and the more frustrated he became well that just made him more angry.

He began to hurt the people around him who loved him the most. With each new insult and angry outburst he was hurting those that cared. He wasn’t seeing the consequences of his anger. He couldn’t understand that his actions were causing others pain and hurt, he was too consumed by his own rage to even notice.

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After a particularly bad outburst his mother had sent him to walk in the woods and think about things until he had calmed down. It was on this day, walking in the woods, that he met a witch that was about to change his life for the better.

The witch was out collecting her herbs and spices for potions and magical spells when she heard the little boy. He was cursing and kicking stones, making an awful racket as he went.

The little boy cursing and kicking sticks as he went, was so engrossed with his emotion of anger he didn’t see the witch until he was standing right in front of her.

“Who are you!” He angrily muttered “your in my way!”

“I’m a witch capable of turning you into a frog or making your tongue talk like a parrot, maybe I turn you into a mouse or something worse. so I would drop the attitude” replied the wise witch

“Well your in my way!” Barked the angry boy “and you smell”

“Your an angry little man” replied the witch “I think you might need to be taught a lesson”

“Oh shut up and get out my way” angrily demanded the little boy

“I did warn you”

And with a great flash of light and a kinda whooshing sound the witch threw one of her most powerful spells she had for years, it seemed this angrily little boy was about to be taught a lesson.

“There, it is done! You have been cursed, now every time you find yourself angry and about to hurl insults and abuse you will blow fire like a dragon”

And with this the Wise witch walked away leaving the little boy feeling a little dazed and slightly confused.

When the boy finally arrived back home his mood of anger had passed and he was feeling a lot more calmer. He’d forgotten about the witch and the curse and was feeling happier.

It was around the evening dinner table that he started to loose his temper. Just as his father had poised on his fork a particularly nice looking potato ready to pop in his mouth the little boy burst into anger. As the little boy opened his mouth ready to curse, suddenly, just as the witch had said, a burst of flames as impressive as any dragon came raging out of his mouth instantly turning the potato on his father’s fork to crumbly dust.

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Shocked and surprised the boy quickly put his hands over his mouth to spare anymore carnage. His anger had now been replaced by horror and surprise as to the damage he had just caused.

That evening as the little boy was told it was bed time, anger reared it’s ugly head once more. Once again the instant the little boy opened his mouth to vent his rage a massive burst of flames came shooting out. The walls were scorched black and the television taking a direct hit was left melted and deformed.

Our little boy went to bed that evening thinking for the first time in his life, how his anger was having a direct effect on those around him.

Over the course of the next few weeks, little by little our boy started to see first hand how ever time he was angry or had an angry outburst the flames raged from his mouth burning everything to a crisp as it went, hurting and harming those around him.

The other town folk were now becoming afraid of the little boy who was now famous for blowing flames every time he was angry and as so would try to avoid any direct contact with him.

Our poor little boy was becoming very sad and lonely indeed.

However this curse the wise witch had bestowed upon our little angry boy was turning out to be a very clever curse indeed.

As more time passed the little boy was slowly beginning to control his angry outbursts.

Gradually over time his anger became less and less. At first he managed to control his anger for a day, then he could managed two days in a row, then three, and four then an entire week went by without the little boy becoming angry in the slightest way.

And as our little boy began to control his anger a fantastic transformation was also unfolding. He was also beginning to become calmer and happier person. The other town folk could also see the wonderful new change in our little boy and so they had started to include him once again. This was just the encouragement the little boy need to finally rid himself of the old wise witches curse.

With a massive concerted effort and intense control our little boy expelled the last remaining flakes of anger left in his body, he had truly conquered his curse of blowing fire and in doing so had also mastered his anger.

His curse was lifted!

Our little boy decided to leave some of the destruction and scorch marks his anger had created. A reminder as how a quick small outburst of anger can cause far longer lasting damage.

Words we say in anger can cause deep emotional scars that may take many years to heal or be covered over. Be carful what you say!

Author: Dhamma Tāpasā

Categories
Motivational Moral Stories

The Two Three Headed Eagles

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Once upon a time there lived two very unusual Eagles whom both had three heads.

The two Eagles both had the same affliction, one head was always good, one head was always bad and the poor third head couldn’t decide between the two.

Both the two Eagles and their three heads were often found talking amongst themselves, the good heads that represented love, kindness and compassion often fought with the bad heads, that represented Anger, hatred and loathing. The good and bad heads always argued as to the best solution to any given problem, and the poor third head always felt stuck in the middle and unable to make a decision as what to do.

The first head, the one that was good, always wanted to see the honesty and trust in everything exploring the problem with an open heart. The second head, the one that was bad, always found the negative side of the argument usually wanting to be cautious waiting to see what unfolded.

The third head listened to the other two but could never decide between them, both raised valuable points that couldn’t be ignored, and as such a decision could never be found and our two poor Eagles would spend many hours in confusion, never making their minds up as to what was the best choice.

One day this all changed

Once again both our three headed Eagles found themselves in a moral dilemma and became stuck in their thinking. The good heads were adamant they were correct and the bad heads were positive they were right and so the arguments pursued.

It was at this exact moment that one of our Three Headed Eagles had an idea. It decided that the only way to live a normal life, like all the other Eagles, was to cut off the other two heads. Only doing this, thought the Eagle, would it sever their constant arguing and bickering between what was always right and wrong, good or bad.

The other Three Headed Eagle didn’t agree, they thought this idea wasn’t such a good plan, but agreed that something should be done.

Our first three headed Eagle makes their plan to separate themselves from the other two heads. With careful timing and precision our three headed Eagle takes a sharp knife and quickly cuts the other two heads off in one fell swoop.

For just a moment all is content in our Eagles world. There is no more fighting and arguing between the other two heads and our Eagle feels at peace.

However as our Eagle leaps from the tree tops, stretching his wings ready for a celebratory flight, he suddenly finds himself completely off balance and totally out of control. Try as he might our Eagle cannot gain composure without his other two heads. With the ground rushing ever closer there is only going to be one inevitable outcome and our Eagle hits the ground with a nasty thud.

The second of our three headed Eagles has a different kind of plan. His plan is to use kindness and compassion toward his situation and so begins to meditate. He focused his attention on his breathing, breathing in, breathing out, becoming truly present in the moment. Slowly he witnesses a calming with the chatter of his other two heads.

With this calming came a quietness slowly the other two heads began to shrink every so slightly. Seeing the other two heads become smaller and smaller was all our Three headed Eagle needed to know that his plan was working.

With a determined effort, closely following every breath and the silence that comes with it, the two heads shrink ever more slightly and became increasingly quieter, until finally they disappeared altogether, our three headed Eagle had found his true freedom.

Author: Dhamma Tāpasā

Our inner speech is just like that of our three headed Eagles, always chattering away and seemingly never ending. The fundamental reason for all of our life’s problems is this inner speech, our inner speech creates all of our fears, anger, hatred, boredom, guilt, anxiety and depression. And the exceedingly high regard we place onto this inner speech, onto our own thoughts, is, and has become, the main obstacle in our lives.

Our inner speech is just like from our story The Monk and The Grasshopper, always jumping from one thing to the next. And just like our poor Three Headed Eagles, this inner speech that jumps around from one thing to the next can cause us extreme amounts of personal torment and suffering.

When the mind is full of thoughts and wanders around jumping from this to that, sooner or later it finds itself in negativity. It is like having a lengthy conversation with a dear friend, you may start the conversation with praise and positivity but gradually, sooner or later it turns to negativity, criticising the world around us or our own lives at that of others. The exact same thing happens with our inner thinking and inner speech.

To help us still and calm this inner speech we practise meditation and mindfulness. We focus our attention on our breathing, either at the tip of our nose or on the rise and fall of the abdomen. In doing so we gradually witness the silence that lies between this inner speech. To begin with this silence is ever so subtly and needs pure focus on our breath. Gradually as you see one thought subside and another just begin, there, right there in between those two thoughts is a silence a stillness and calm. A silence so sweet your mind will begin to want more.

Meditation and mindfulness take practice but just like anything you practice at you get better and better. And the better we get at meditation and mindfulness your inner speech becomes quieter. And the quieter you become the more happiness you will have.

Kind regards

Dhamma Tāpasā

Categories
meditation Misadventures of a Monk

A Kindness Walk

What is a Kindness Walk?

A Kindness Walk is all about going out into this world to do intentional Acts of Kindness. These can be as simple or as complicated as you need to make it. However the more simpler the act, the more spontaneous and more rewarding it seems to become. Helping someone with their shopping or just spending time listening to someone are all acts of kindness that’s within all our grasp.

With the world grappling with COVID-19 this is our chance to go out into the world and make a positive change. This year has been a year none of us have ever seen and fewer could ever see coming. I feel that more Kindness and compassion are desperately needed now in our world. And I wish too Act.

During the first lockdown wave of infections I found myself in a situation where I fell through the system and had no offer of help from that same system that I was being asked to save by locking myself down. It got me thinking on how many others there are and will be who also fall through the cracks of our systems? How many people are going to be in desperate need now and in the near future? I was very lucky and had the help of a loving and supportive family that helped me get through.

A 7,000km Kindness Walk

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Route Portugal to Istanbul

This has spurred me on to do my own Kindness Walk only I’m going to do a 7,000km Kindness Walk from Portugal to Istanbul in Turkey, with the soul promise to do one act of kindness every single day. Accompanying me for this journey is Marley Moo my adopted rescue dog always faithfully by my side.

We’re not just striving to do one act of kindness every day, we are also raising awareness and support for the Make-A-Wish foundations for each country we walk through. There are 8 countries we walk through that have a Make-A-Wish headquarters and as we walk between them the donations we collect we want to personally hand deliver a cheque and promote the wonderful acts of kindness the charity does.

Gypsy Mini Camper

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A few ideas

We are making this a unique challenge by pulling a gypsy style hand wagon the entire 7,000km journey, well I say we Marley won’t be pulling anything. The mini gypsy camper is to act primarily as our accommodation, keeping the costs down allowing us to concentrate more on the Acts of Kindness, but it also serves as a walking advertising board promoting what we are doing and hopefully attracting sponsorship and further donations to Make-A-Wish.

We are just at the beginning stages of our gypsy style mini camper build and have just begun a training schedule to allow me to build up my muscles a little at a time. If you would like to keep up to date on this rather unusual charity kindness walk we have set up a dedicated website at

Kindness-walk.com

This is a community led initiative that has just begun, an adventure that will take an estimated 2 years to complete and you have the chance to follow ever up and down that could possible happen. Right from the start. Head over and show your support by getting involved with one of the many ways you can make this walk a success. Only with your help can this work, only with an Act of Kindness of your own can this help more and more people. Head over now and spread some kindness.

Kindness-walk.com

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Kindness-walk.com

Kind regards

Categories
meditation mindfulness

Let’s Talk Meditation

Meditation and the Truth

Most of us have heard about meditation and mindfulness over the last few years, but how many of us truly understand how to practice this ancient art form passed down for thousands of years. This article is where I want to correct the balance and put straight some of the facts about this noble way to practice.

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Most of the information I see on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram is given freely but at the cost of heavily advertised websites, Click baited headlines to draw your curiosity in to only find a half hearted explanation and little to no advice. Most of these websites are written by wanna-be social media stars and there is a growing concern that meditation and mindfulness has become, or is becoming, a watered down version of a truly remarkable aid in the development of our human consciousness. An aid, that if understood correctly, can and will change your life dramatically for the better.

What can Meditation do for me?

Meditation has the ability to reshape your life towards a more peaceful, respectful and compassionate way to live. A life with less worry and less anxiety, a life where gossip doesn’t amuse or intrigue and fear struggles to reside. Meditation can calm and clear your mind like that of a still lake and reflect back a better version of yourself. And by searching within for that elusive happiness we truly can change the world around us.

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My experience with Meditation

My experience with meditation has completely changed my life for the better. I have been practicing meditation for well over 15 years, a large number for some but a small number for others. In this time I have gone from a lost soul not understanding the way of the world, feeling like I didn’t fit in, or that something was wrong with me. I now have a life living completely satisfied and fulfilled, a life full of love and compassion. I now have a relationship with my father something that in my early life I did not and this is something I cherish dearly.

In these 15 years I have been trained by meditation masters such as Thich Nhat Hanh and from the direct descendants of the forest monk Ajahn Chah. I have been an ordained Buddhist monk for many years practicing in the seclusion of the northern forests of Thailand. I now wander the European countryside as a monk still searching the depths of my mind and all its wily tricks and parlour games it plays. I am totally addicted to meditation and mindfulness like a smoker is to cigarettes. Everyday I practice watching or observing the play of consciousness and it’s relationship to our experiences. Everyday I grow and learn more.

I am not enlightened and don’t pretend to be, I am enjoying the search tremendously and as so I have for a long time dedicated my life to understanding the truth of our human condition.

How to truly meditate

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We have all heard that the art of meditation is to follow the breath. Breathing in, you really observe and feel the breath coming in. We need to be invested in this process of observance, completely absorbed and focused. See how the air passes through you nostrils, tickling the hairs in your nose, watch and witness the abdomen enlarge and the lungs expanding gently as a response. Breathing out observe the process as you would a movie get yourself involved and watch the lungs deflate as a response to you abdomens movement. Observe the air as it comes out through your nose, tickling those nostril hairs. And then the slight pause before we breath in once again.

This is just one step in meditation and is the foundation of all training it is called Samantha or Samadhi meditation. However this is just a foundation and only when our foundations are solid and secure can we start to build upon this to investigate and discover the real interplay between our thoughts and there corresponding actions. This is known as Vipassanā meditation. Translated as ‘truly seeing‘, or insight meditation.

Vipassanā Meditation

Vipassanā Meditation is an observance of the our thoughts within the consciousness. We watch, without interference, how each thought arises from something and then passes away. How one thought leads to another and to another and then to another. Vipassanā Meditation is the observance of the minds three facts of existence, impermanence, suffering and non self as they reveal themselves through consciousness. Truths that once experienced as reality changes your whole way of life. Knowing this is not enough, experiencing this for yourself is the true purpose of meditation and one that can take minutes or sometimes a life time.

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Vipassanā is an art form that takes a long time to develop and should only be attempted after many hours of Samantha meditation as described above. The reason is to develop the skill as an observer without interference so as to experience these truths for yourself. There is no point in just mere understanding, one must truly experience this birth and death for ourselves, experience the ever changing impermanence that exists in everything.

For another explanation of Vipassanā Meditation from a more scientific view point Click Here

What to do now

The most important factor to remember with meditation is to always be kind towards yourself. When we loose focus on our breathing, gently laugh or chuckle to yourself and bring back your attention. Try not to be harsh with yourself it is the journey that is far more important than the destination. Kindness goes an incredible long way in this world and something that if practiced towards ourselves helps elevate a lot of our problems.

Practice breathing meditation or Samantha meditation until you have got a solid foundation, a foundation where you feel present in the moment, grounded in the breath. Once this has become established then allow your mind to investigate, to clearly see with Vipassanā Meditation.

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For any help or advice please feel free to contact me using the contact form provided in the menu. There is no pressure on your behalf and I am here to help. I have been lucky enough to be guided by Masters over my time and it would be a delight to help in anyway I can.

kind regards

Dhamma Tāpasā

Categories
meditation

Words of wisdom and Moral Principles

Words of Wisdom & inspirational quotes

These Words of Wisdom or inspirational quotes have all been selected to try and ease our suffering, to bring about a calm within our minds. There is an unprecedented amount of pain and suffering going on in the world today and it is each of our responsibility to help in any way we can.

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The world we all live in is an ever changing, impermanent entity and today this seems more so than ever before. Coronavirus or Covid19 has altered our entire way of life in a very short period of time. No matter what country you come from, no matter what colour your skin, no matter the religion you believe or disbelieve everyone has been touched by this deadly virus. Masks are starting to become an everyday aspect of our lives, social distancing is necessary or enforced and millions of people are suffering as a result.

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Myself, Dhamma Tāpasā, and my adopted stray dog, Marley Moo, spend our time wandering the European countryside, what the Buddhists call Tudong, in search of spiritual enlightenment. Each day we meet scared individuals, frightened for there very lives and that of their families. My job as a Monk and Meditator is to help in anyway I can, through my unique Moral Stories created from real life experiences we come across during our week. We create words of wisdom or inspirational quotes that have been passed down through the ages and we teach meditation and mindfulness techniques to calm the mind from worry and try and alleviate our own suffering. Meditation is more than just a relaxation tool and I urge you to find out more.

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Learn more about Meditation

To learn more about mindfulness and meditation techniques, we have included FREE within these pages a complete Beginners Meditation guide, advancing to the more sophisticated Vipassana meditation practice. We have sections to help with our posture and sitting position for meditation, mini meditations that can be practiced for people with busy lives. Body scan meditation to learn how are body feels at any given moment, and many many more meditation tricks and tips that help with any problems you may be facing along the way.

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A New Set of Moral Principles through Moral Stories

I believe the world needs a new set of Moral principals to help us progress, develop and thrive in this 21st century. Our time on this planet is short and at the moment it seems the manipulation of large corporations, the absurdity of immoral sports personalities, lying governments and the wealthy elite are gaining ever more popularity of followers all dreaming that this is the correct way to live our lives.

The results or our Karma following this way of life are very clear to me. With more and more searching for Youtube star sensation and Facebook fame we are all starting to fall victim to an immoral set of principals that only harm others in favour of ourselves.

We share this planet with 7 billion other humans and more than 7 times that number of other mammals, insects and birds, something we have all seemed too of forgotten. If we keep chasing greed of wealth, and the constant wanting of more things and stuff we will be the generation that brings the end to life as we know it.

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I urge us all to change our ways and learn more about peace, happiness from within ourselves and not from external situations. For none of us can become truly happy by external happiness, only by looking deep within can we truly escape the suffering we are causing ourselves and others.

Morality seems to of been casted aside in this century and I wholeheartedly believe a new set of principles needs to be found by all of us. This is why I try to write a Moral story each week to show clear examples of our behaviour and it’s direct consequences. Most of these short sweet Moral stories are from inspiration on our wanderings, designed to be read by children and adults alike.

Kind regards

Dhamma Tāpasā

Categories
Motivational Mini Stories

The Monk & The Grasshopper

This weeks motivational Moral story

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The Monk & The Grasshopper

The Monk & The Grasshopper

One fine day, whilst out and about, hopping here and there, a little grasshopper happened across a monk who was meditating.

He hopped his way around the motionless monk for some time. He was struck by how calm, still and peaceful the monk appeared but he wasn’t really sure what he was doing.

The grasshopper hopped here and there, back and forth, keeping his eye on the monk and slowly gaining courage to get closer and closer until finally he was almost at the monk’s side. Just at the moment when he was about to hop on his knee and clear his tiny grasshopper throat, the monk opened his eyes and looked down at the grasshopper.

“Hello little grasshopper” the monk said in a warm and friendly manner. “How may I help you? ”

Surprised that the monk knew he was there, the little grasshopper, hopped back a little, and, plucking up all of his little grasshopper courage, he asked his question.

“I have been watching you for some time and would like to know what it is you are doing?”

“Meditation little grasshopper” said the monk “we meditate to calm our wandering minds”.

“Wandering minds, the grasshopper repeated, What do you mean?.

“Our minds can be like that of a little grasshopper that hops from place to place, always moving, never still and calm”

“Oh, said the little grasshopper, trying hard to be still for a moment. “I like that. I would like to try to calm my wandering mind, and my wandering legs, for that matter. Do you think I could learn?”

“Of course, little grasshopper. Its quite simple. We start by getting comfortable, then sitting with crossed legs and our backs straight, we close our eyes”.

The little grasshopper immediately sits down and after spending a little time working out how to cross its little legs, it closes its little eyes.

A few moments pass before the grasshopper opens one eye and looks up at the still and calm monk. “But what now? ” he asks a little impatiently.

The monk chuckles “steady little grasshopper, not so fast. When we close our eyes we watch our breath, Breathing in we are truly aware we are breathing in. Breathing Out we are truly aware we are breathing out”

“OK, that sounds pretty simple”, says the little grasshopper and does as the monk says, making himself comfortable again and crossing his little legs, he slowly closes his eyes and takes a deep in breath.

A few moments pass. “Wait!” shouts the grasshopper “I think it would be better to meditate over there on that lovely grass stalk” and off he hops. He jumps onto the blade of grass and looks around in satisfaction.

“Ok I’m ready now”

The monk and the grasshopper get themselves comfortable again, the monk crosses his legs and the little grasshopper does the same, they both slowly close their eyes and take a deep in breath.

A few more moments pass. “Wait!” Shouts the grasshopper “I think it would be better to meditate over there on that lovely rock” and off he hops. He jumps onto the rock and looks around in satisfaction.

“Ok I’m ready now”

The monk and the grasshopper once again make themselves comfortable the monk crosses his legs and the little grasshopper does the same, they both slowly close their eyes and take a deep in breath.

A few more moments pass. “Wait!” shouts the grasshopper

Author Dhamma Tapasa

Edited by Sophie Mars

fairy tales for kids, tales of morality, change your mindset, Buddhist moral stories, personal development through mindfulness, words of wisdom, most important thing to learn, wacky web tales, developing minds, inspirational advice, small inspirational story, similes, spiritual enlightenment,

The Monk & The Grasshopper

Moral of Story

Our minds can be like that of the little grasshopper, always hopping off to here and there following the next big distraction. We meditate to calm our minds, stilling and quietening ourselves to live more in the present moment. When we become present in the moment we start to learn and experience the fundamental truths to that which causes us to suffer