Teachings on Mindfulness & Meditation through Inspirational Short Stories & Motivational Quotes from a real travelling Vanlife Monk affiliated to No Tribe, Religion or Society always searching for Spiritual Enlightenment
“You will not be punished by your anger, you will be punished by your anger”
“The way is not the sky, the way is in your heart”
“Peace comes from within, do not seek it without”You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affectionDo not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment
Buddha 563 – 483BC
Gautama Buddha lived over 2562 years ago as a monk and teacher on which Buddhism has been founded. Born a prince of the Shakya clan in modern day northern India, now Nepal. He became dissatisfied with his life and that of the human condition he left the royal palace in search of truth. After many years practicing with the Meditation masters of the time, learning yoga and other breathing techniques, he still had not discovered the truth he was seeking, leaving these old masters behind he went in search of places of tranquility and seclusion to practice deep meditation. After spending many hours sitting in a one pointed Meditative state for prolonged periods of time Gautama discovered his middle way or the “noble eightfold path” as a way to enlightenment.
For the remaining 45 years of his life the Buddha taught this path, established the Sangha and 100’s of monastery’s through-out his travels through modern day India and Nepal and in so Doing leaving behind a legacy that has endured for over a millennium.
Every week we bring to you a short Moral story that has either inspired or motivated us in some way during our week.
Most of our stories have been loving handcrafted by ourselves into short moral stories that we hope inspire as well as teach a valuable moral lesson in life. A few of our stories are old classics and where the original author is know a credit is always given.
These are a collection of some of our previous Weekly Moral Stories, check back regularly for a new Moral Story every week
The Archery contest
After winning several archery contests, the young and rather boastful champion challenged a Zen master who was renowned for his skill as an archer.
The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull’s eye on his first try, and then split that arrow with his second shot.
“There,” he said to the old man, “see if you can match that!”
Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow, but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain.
Curious about the old fellow’s intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log.
Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady and certainly perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit.
“Now it is your turn,” he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground.
Staring with terror into the seemingly bottomless and beckoning abyss, the young man could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target.
“You have much skill with your bow,” the master said, sensing his challenger’s predicament, “but you have little skill with the mind that lets loose the shot.”
In Your Hands
A young man caught a small bird, and held it behind his back. He then asked, “Master, is the bird I hold in my hands alive or dead.” The boy thought this was a grand opportunity to play a trick on the old man. If the master answered “dead”, it would be let loose into the air. If the master answered “alive”, he would simply wring its neck. The master spoke, “The answer is in your hands”.
The monastery
There once was a monastery that was very strict. Following a vow of silence, no one was allowed to speak at all. But there was one exception to this rule. Every ten years, the monks were permitted to speak just two words. After spending his first ten years at the monastery, one monk went to the head monk. “It has been ten years,” said the head monk.
“What are the two words you would like to speak?”
“Bed… hard…” said the monk.
“I see,” replied the head monk.
Ten years later, the monk returned to the head monk’s office. “It has been ten more years,” said the head monk. “What are the twowords you would like to speak?”
“Food… stinks…” said the monk.
“I see,” replied the head monk.
Yet another ten years passed and the monk once again met with the head monk who asked,
“What are your two words now, after these ten years?”
“I… quit!” said the monk.
“Well, I can see why,” replied the head monk. “All you ever do is complain.”
Appearances can be deceiving
A Zen abbot went dressed in rags to the door of a rich man and was turned away with an empty bowl. So he returned in his formal robe of office and was invited in and served a sumptuous meal.
Removing his robe and folding it, he placed it on front of the feast and departed with the words, “This meal is not for me; it is for the robe.”
If you have enjoyed this wonderful selection of short motivational mini stories then please share with your friends and family as I’m sure they will get as much joy as you have.
“The Earth provides enough to satisfy every mans need, but not every mans GREED”
“The future depends on what we do in the present”
“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet”
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
“There is more to life than increasing its speed”
“NOBODY can hurt me without my permission”
Mahatma Gandhi 1869-1948
Leader of the Indian independence movement against the British rule of the time. Most memorable for his non violence approach, leading his fellow countrymen on a 400km march to the salt pans of Dandi in protest of the British imposed salt tax. Living modestly Gandhi wore the traditional Indian dhoti which he hand spun on his charkha.
He ate simple vegetarian food and undertook long fasts as a means of both self purification and political protest. October 2nd is Gandhi’s birthday and worldwide has become the international day of non violence, in India it is also a national holiday.
Every week we bring to you a short Moral story that has either inspired or motivated us in some way during our week.
Most of our stories have been loving handcrafted by ourselves into short moral stories that we hope inspire as well as teach a valuable moral lesson in life. A few of our stories are old classics and where the original author is know a credit is always given.
These are a collection of some of our previous Weekly Moral Stories, check back regularly for a new Moral Story every week
The farmer and the baker
The Farmer and Baker
Once, there was a farmer who regularly sold butter to a baker. One day, the baker decided to weigh the butter to see if he was getting the exact amount that he asked for. He found out that he wasn’t, so he took the farmer to court.
The judge asked the farmer if he uses any measure to weigh the butter. The farmer replied, “Your Honor, I’m primitive. I don’t have a proper measure, but I do have a scale.”
The judge replied, “Then how do you weigh the butter?”
The farmer replied; “Your Honor, long before the baker started buying butter from me, I have been buying a pound loaf of bread from him. Every day, when the baker brings the bread, I put it on the scale and give him the same weight in butter. If anyone is to be blamed, it’s the baker
The Wise Old Man
People came to visit a wise man always complaining about the same problems over and over again. One day, he decided to tell them a joke and they all roared with laughter.
After a few minutes, he told them the same joke and only a few of them smiled.
Then he told the same joke for a third time, but no one laughed or smiled anymore.
The wise man smiled and said: “You can’t laugh at the same joke over and over. So why are you always crying about the same problem
The helping hand
A Helping hand
This is a story about Albert Williams, Albert was 84 years young with good health and always in good spirits. Albert had a routine for the last eleven years since the passing of his dearly beloved wife, Ethel. He would at 6pm everyday walk the quick 5 minutes to the train station, catch the train for two stops, where he would then walk for another 5 minutes to his favourite restaurant, the restaurant where he proposed to his wife. The staff had got to know Albert and always welcomed him with warm hearts.
On this particular evening in question as Albert went through his usual routine, walking the 5 minutes to the train station and taking the train two stops, it was as Albert was getting off the train that he noticed someone hanging around on the platform. As Albert started to climb the stairs the stranger approached carrying a knife.
“Give me all your money gramps!”
So I gave him my wallet without hesitation Albert told me. But as the teenager is walking away seeming satisfied with his loot, I suddenly find myself calling after him
“Hey wait a minute” I say “you forgot something”
My assailant swings round looking puzzled
“It’s really cold out, and I thought if your going to be robbing people all night maybe you best take my coat as well”
The teenager looked really stunned
“You what!, like you want to give me your coat as well”
“Well I thought your need for the coat might be more than mine, besides I don’t live far away, look I’m just going for a bite to eat, let me also buy you a good meal keep you going on such a cold night”
“Like is this some joke”
“No I’m deadly serious, look come no tricks”
So they walked together the five minutes or so to the restaurant, Albert chatting all the way trying to get the kid to open up a bit. Once inside the staff come out and greeted Albert as usual, the barman, then the owner and then the chef, all while the kid looks on in amazement.
“You own the joint or something” he asks
“No I just eat hear a lot these days”
“Yer but you’re like nice to everyone, even that dishwasher guy”
“Where you not bought up to be nice to everybody” I questioned
“Well yer, I guess, but I never thought anyone actually were that way”
“So tell me, what do you want to become with your life” I asked
The teen looked down with a rather saddened expression on his face, he just couldn’t answer me or maybe didn’t want to, he just looked so dejected with life.
We continued to talk and drink some more until the bill finally arrived.
“Look” Albert said “I promised you I would take you out and buy you a proper meal, but seeing how you got my wallet I can’t, so pass it over and let me pay”
The teen did without hesitation, and gave the wallet back. Albert paid and gave the teen who Albert now knew as Paul $50 and hoped this would help him. There was just one thing Albert asked for in return for the $50 and that was the knife, again Paul without hesitation gave Albert the knife.
A little kindness can go a very long way in helping those around us.
The mouse merchant
The Mouse Merchant
Once upon a time, an important adviser to a certain king was on his way to a meeting with the king and other advisers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dead mouse by the roadside. He said to those who were with him. “Even from such small beginnings as this dead mouse, an energetic young fellow could build a fortune. If he worked hard and used his intelligence, he could start a business and support a wife and family.”
A passer-by heard the remark. He knew this was a famous adviser to the king, so he decided to follow his words. He picked up the dead mouse by the tail and went off with it. As luck would have it, before he had gone even a block, a shopkeeper stopped him. He said, “My cat has been pestering me all morning. I’ll give you two copper coins for that mouse.” So it was done.
With the two copper coins, he bought sweet cakes, and waited by the side of the road with them and some water. As he expected, some peo- ple who picked flowers for making garlands were returning from work. Since they were all hungry
and thirsty, they agreed to buy sweet cakes and water for the price of a bunch of flowers from each of them. In the evening, the man sold the flowers in the city. With some of the money he bought more sweet cakes and returned the next day to sell to the flower pickers.
This went on for a while, until one day there was a terrible storm, with heavy rains and high winds. While walking by the king’s pleasure garden, he saw that many branches had been blown off the trees and were lying all around. So he offered to the king’s gardener that he would clear it all away for him, if he could keep the branches. The lazy gardener quickly agreed.
The man found some children playing in a park across the street. They were glad to collect all the branches and brush at the entrance to the pleasure garden, for the price of just one sweet cake for each child.
Along came the king’s potter, who was al- ways on the lookout for firewood for his glazing oven. When he saw the piles of wood the children had just collected, he paid the man a handsome price for it. He even threw into the bargain some of his pots.
With his profits from selling the flowers and the firewood, the man opened up a refresh- ment shop. One day all the local grass mowers, who were on their way into town, stopped in his
shop. He gave them free sweet cakes and drinks. They were surprised at his generosity and asked, “What can we do for you?” He said there was nothing for them to do now, but he would let them know in the future.
A week later, he heard that a horse dealer was coming to the city with 500 horses to sell. So he got in touch with the grass mowers and told each of them to give him a bundle of grass. He told them not to sell any grass to the horse dealer until he had sold his. In this way he got a very good price.
Time passed until one day, in his refresh- ment shop, some customers told him that a new ship from a foreign country had just anchored in the port. He saw this to be the opportunity he had been waiting for. He thought and thought until he came up with a good business plan.
First, he went to a jeweler friend of his and paid a low price for a very valuable gold ring, with a beautiful red ruby in it. He knew that the foreign ship was from a country that had no rubies of its own, where gold too was expensive. So he gave the wonderful ring to the captain of the ship as an advance on his commission. To earn this commission, the captain agreed to send all his passengers to him as a broker. He would then lead them to the best shops in the city. In turn, the man
got the merchants to pay him a commission for sending customers to them.
Acting as a middle man in this way, after several ships came into port, the man became very rich. Being pleased with his success, he also re- membered that it had all started with the words of the king’s wise adviser. So he decided to give him a gift of 100,000 gold coins. This was half his en- tire wealth. After making the proper arrange- ments, he met with the king’s adviser and gave him the gift, along with his humble thanks.
The adviser was amazed, and he asked, “How did you earn so much wealth to afford such a generous gift?” The man told him it had all started with the adviser’s own words not so long ago. They had led him to a dead mouse, a hungry cat, sweet cakes, bunches of flowers, storm dam- aged tree branches, children in the park, the king’s potter, a refreshment shop, grass for 500 horses, a golden ruby ring, good business contacts, and fi- nally a large fortune.
Hearing all this, the royal adviser thought to himself, “It would not be good to lose the tal- ents of such an energetic man. I too have much wealth, as well as my beloved only daughter. As this man is single, he deserves to marry her. Then he can inherit my wealth in addition to his own, and my daughter will be well cared for.”
This all came to pass, and after the wise adviser died, the one who had followed his advice became the richest man in the city. The king ap- pointed him to the adviser’s position. Throughout his remaining life, he generously gave his money for the happiness and well being of many people.
If you have enjoyed these mini tales of wisdom then it would be awesome if you could share with your friends.
Every week we bring to you a short Moral story that has either inspired or motivated us in some way during our week.
Most of our stories have been loving handcrafted by ourselves into short moral stories that we hope inspire as well as teach a valuable moral lesson in life. A few of our stories are old classics and where the original author is know a credit is always given.
These are a collection of some of our previous Weekly Moral Stories, check back regularly for a new Moral Story every week
The zen master and the thief
The Zen Master and the Thief
One evening, Zen master Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras when a thief entered his house with a sharp sword, demanding “money or life”. Without any fear, Shichiri said, “Don’t disturb me! Help yourself with the money, it’s in that drawer”. And he resumed his recitation.
The thief was startled by this unexpected reaction, but he proceeded with his business anyway. While he was helping himself with the money, the master stopped and called, “Don’t take all of it. Leave some for me to pay my taxes tomorrow”. The thief left some money behind and prepared to leave. Just before he left, the master suddenly shouted at him, “You took my money and you didn’t even thank me?! That’s not polite!”. This time, the thief was really shocked at such fearlessness. He thanked the master and ran away. The thief later told his friends that he had never been so frightened in his life.
A few days later, the thief was caught and confessed, among many others, his thieft at Shichiri’s house. When the master was called as a witness, he said, “No, this man did not steal anything from me. I gave him the money. He even thanked me for it.”
The thief was so touched that he decided to repent. Upon his release from prison, he became a disciple of the master and many years later, he attained Enlightenment.
The Short Staff
The Short Staff
Shuzan held out his short staff and exclaimed “If you call this a short staff, you oppose it’s true reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore it’s very nature. Now what do you wish to call this?
Question of Heaven or Hell
A soldier named Horishmo came to Hakuin, a meditation master of old, and asked: “Is there really a paradise and a hell?”
“Who are you?” inquired Hakuin.
“I am a samurai,” the warrior replied.
“You, a soldier!” exclaimed Hakuin. “What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar.”
Horishmo became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: “So you have a sword ! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head.”
As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: “Here open the gates of hell!”
At these words the samurai, perceiving the master’s discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed. “Here open the gates of paradise,” said Hakuin
How long does it take to get enlightened
How long does it take to get Enlightened?
A young but earnest Zen student approached his teacher, and asked the Zen Master: “If I work very hard and diligent how long will it take for me to find Zen.”
The Master thought about this, then replied, “Ten years.”
The student then said, “But what if I work very, very hard and really apply myself to learn fast — How long then ?”
Replied the Master, “Well, twenty years.”
“But, if I really, really work at it. How long then ?” asked the student.
“Thirty years,” replied the Master.
“But, I do not understand,” said the disappointed student. “At each time that I say I will work harder, you say it will take me longer. Why do you say that ?”
Replied the Master,” When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.
The Traveling Monk
The Travelling Monk
In ancient times it was customary for a traveling monk seeking lodging at a Zen monastery to engage in dharma combat with the abbot or head monk. If the wayfarer won the debate, he could stay; if not, he had to seek quarters elsewhere.
Once a master assigned his attendant to engage in such an encounter with a traveling monk, who challenged him to a silent debate. It so happened that this attendant had but one eye.
Soon the wayfarer returned to the master, saying, “Your man is too good for me. I must journey on. I held up one finger to symbolize the Buddha. But he held up two fingers for the Buddha and the Dharma. So I held up three fingers for the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. But then he held up a clenched fist to indicate they were all one – so I ran to indicate I am no match for him.”
When the traveler who spoke these words left, the attendant arrived – angry and out of breath. “Where is that rascal?” he demanded. “First, he insulted me by holding up one finger to indicate I had only one eye. Determined to be polite in spite of that, I held up two fingers to indicate that, on the other hand, he was blessed with two eyes. But he just kept rubbing it in, for next he held up three fingers to indicate that all together there were only three eyes among us. So I went to hit him and he ran off! Where is he hiding?”
I really hoped you liked these tales from old, if you have then please help me grow by sharing with your friends
Jamaican singer songwriter and international superstar, bringing reggae to the masses. A spiritual a religious activist for the Rastafarian religion and pan-Africanist believing in the unity of all African people worldwide.
Bob was born on a farm in Nine Mile, Jamaica to his mother Cedella and his father Norval Marley. Norval was a white Jamaican origami ally from Sussex, England, and it is claimed he was a captain in the Royal Marines, this is difficult to confirm as he rarely spent time with his wife and son instead sent financial support. It was his parental grandfather and his mother that raised bob in nine miles until the age of 12 when Norval passed away of a heart attack, allowing Cedella, bob’s mum, to remarry and they moved to Trenchtown and it was hear that the legend is formed. Growing up alongside such talent as Peter Tosh, Joe Highs, Bunny Wailer, Junior Braithwaite and Beverley Kelso it is no surprise that Bob would rise to fame.
Bob Marley is without question the most successful reggae artist of all time selling hundreds of millions of albums worldwide, winning the Peace Medal of the Third World, a honour given by the United Nations, for his contribution of raising awareness of injustice in third world countries. His lyrics still resonate with love, unity and peace long after his death, making him a true legend.
Ralph Waldo Emerson quote
Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803 – 1882
Was an American philosopher, poet, author and lecturer. Leader of the transcendentalist movement of the 1820’s and 1830’s that swept the eastern United States. Transcendentalism is the belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature. Believing society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, and people are at their best when truly self reliant and independent.
His lectures, which were in excess of 1500, and essays all resonate these core beliefs, criticising not only the corporate institutions but also of western religion. Strongly influenced by Hinduism and the Upanishads and always profoundly spiritual his works include subjects on the individual, freedom, self reliance and the outer soul.
He was born in Massachusetts to a religious family of the Unitarian church, his father was the Rev. William Emerson, a liberal minded pastor to the first church in Boston, a forthright thinker and philosopher and eminent figure of his day. Ralph’s early career saw him as a pastor in Boston’s second church, where he married and settlers for a few years. On the death of his wife, which effected him deeply, he started to question and disagree with the church’s methods. He abandoned his position and toured Europe, meeting some of the prominent men of our time. After returning to the United States and seeing it was possible to earn a living and forged a career from lecturing he embarked on what would become a life long pursuit delivering some 1500 lectures. Emerson settled and remarried in 1835 and moved to Concord, Massachusetts. His views on religion and philosophy were often considered radical for the time but his philosophies and essays have stood as testimony of a great thinker and philosopher of our time, having influenced so many 21st century thinkers, artist and creators alike.
Amit Ray quote
Amit Ray 1960 – present
Is an Indian spiritual author and meditation and yoga master. Best known for his work with Om Meditation and Vipassana meditation techniques. He’s the author of several books teaching peace, loving kindness and compassion.
Amit Ray was born and educated in Calcutta graduating from the university of Calcutta and the Indian institute of Technology with a Phd. He would go on to work in the field of neuroscience. Learning from a young age the art of meditation, from wandering monks passing the farm where he was born. He continued the practice and while working in the corporate world in London did he have his first awakening and true understanding of the true nature of reality. He moved to the Himalayas and continued to practice, sharing his wisdom. His emphasise is on mindfulness and meditation, promoting positive vibration and creating inner and outer peace.
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin quote
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 1881 – 1955
Was a French philosopher, Jesuit priest and idealist, he originally trained as a geologist and palaeontologist, taking part in the discovery of the 700,000 year old skeleton in China known as the “Peking Man”. His ideas and theories at the time were considered taboo and radical, he used the Darwinian approach to evolution developing it further with the ‘Omega Point’, getting him into serious trouble with the Vatican City, even being issued a ‘monitum’ on all his works.
Being born to a French nobility in Auvergne, his family roots could be traced back hundreds of years of French history. He was to enter a Jesuit collage at the age of twelve and studied philosophy, theology and spirituality amounts other subjects. His early career saw him teach physics in Egypt, study theology in England and working as a palaeontologist in Paris. World War One came and Pierre became a stretcher bearer. After service he would travel to China and spend a period of twenty years there carrying out geological research, venturing into Mongolia and the far reaches of china his research became the foundation into Asian human palaeontology. He would also venture into Africa, America, India and Indonesia. His life was varied and sometimes full of controversy but his future vision or the omega point where it is believed the universe is heading for a maximum level of complexity and consciousness, even after his death, was getting him into trouble, all catholic bookstores were ordered by the Vatican to remove his works and the ban and controversy have really only just began to lift after the appointment of the new pope, also a man of science.
Dalai Lama quote
Dalai Lama 1935 – present
The 14th Dalai Lama, born as Tenzin Gyatso is the current spiritual leader of Tibet. Tenzin was born in the small village of Taktser in Tibet, selected from a young age as being the possible reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama. After careful selection and some remarkable coincidences or fate, Tenzin was chosen as the reincarnation at the age of five. He was 15 years old when he partly took over the political duties of Tibet. During the 1950’s China progressively and violently claimed Tibet as a state of the Chinese and denounced the Dalai Lama as a spiritual leader and all who followed him. The uprising that came and the cultural cleansing preformed by the communist Chinese is one of recent history’s most tragic stories. China was swift and brutal, burning all cultural as religious artefacts, destroying temples and performing horrific acts upon monks and nuns, while the civilised world just watched. The Dalia Lama fled with his life along with a few number of government officials to India in 1959.
Dharamshala has now become residence to the refugees of Tibet and his holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It is also the capital for the central Tibetan administration (Tibet’s government in exile) from hear the Dalai Lama gives talks and meets and greets thousands upon thousands of tourists and well wishers who have travelled vast distances just to glimpse this truly enlightened man. A true loving example of peace
Every week we bring to you a short Moral story that has either inspired or motivated us in some way during our week.
Most of our stories have been loving handcrafted by ourselves into short moral stories that we hope inspire as well as teach a valuable moral lesson in life. A few of our stories are old classics and where the original author is know a credit is always given.
These are a collection of some of our previous Weekly Moral Stories, check back regularly for a new Moral Story every week
Four Monks
Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking for two weeks. By nightfall on the first day, the candle began to flicker and then went out. The first monk said, “Oh, no! The candle is out.” The second monk said, “Aren’t we not suppose to talk?” The third monk said, “Why must you two break the silence?” The fourth monk laughed and said, “Ha! I’m the only one who didn’t speak.”
Hindu master
The Hindu Master
An aging Hindu master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, he sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.
“How does it taste?” the master asked.
“Bitter,” spit the apprentice.
The master chuckled and then asked the young man to take the same handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake, and once the apprentice swirled his handful of salt in the water, the old man said, “Now drink from the lake.”
As the water dripped down the young man’s chin, the master asked, “How does it taste?”
“Much fresher,” remarked the apprentice.
“Do you taste the salt?” asked the master.
“No,” said the young man.
At this, the master sat beside the young man who so reminded him of himself and took his hands, offering, “The pain of life is pure salt, no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things… Stop being a glass. Become a lake.”
Salt in the lake
The Beautiful Metaphor
Once there lived a village of creatures along the bottom of a great crystal river.
The current of the river swept silently over them all — young and old, rich and poor, compassionate and cruel — the current going its own way, knowing only its own crystal self.
Each creature in its own manner clung tightly to the twigs and rocks of the river bottom, for clinging was their way of life, and resisting the current what each had learned from birth.
But one creature said at last, “I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I shall let go, and let it take me where it will. Clinging, I shall die of boredom.”
The other creatures laughed and said, “Fool! Let go, and that current will throw you tumbled and smashed across the rocks, and you will die quicker than boredom!”
But the one heeded them not, and taking a breath did let go, and at once was tumbled and smashed by the current across the rocks.
Yet in time, as the creature refused to cling again, the current lifted him free from the bottom, and he was bruised and hurt no more.
And the creatures downstream, to whom he was a stranger, cried, “See a miracle! A creature like ourselves, yet he flies! See the Messiah, come to save us all!”
And the one carried in the current said, “I am no more Messiah than you. The river delights to lift us free, if only we dare let go. Our true work is this voyage, this adventure.”
But they cried the more, “Savior!” all the while clinging to the rocks, and when they looked again he was gone, and they were left alone, and began making legends of a Savior.
Zen Buddhism
Teachings of Zen
The Zen teacher’s dog loved his evening romp with his master. The dog would bound ahead to fetch a stick, then run back, wag his tail, and wait for the next game.
On this particular evening, the teacher invited one of his brightest students to join him – a boy so intelligent that he became troubled by the contradictions in Buddhist doctrine.
“You must understand,” said the teacher, “that words are only guideposts. Never let the words or symbols get in the way of truth. Here, I’ll show you.”
With that the teacher called his happy dog. “Fetch me the moon,” he said to his dog and pointed to the full moon. “Where is my dog looking?” asked the teacher of the bright pupil.
“He’s looking at your finger.”
“Exactly. Don’t be like my dog. Don’t confuse the pointing finger with the thing that is being pointed at. “All our Buddhist words are only guideposts. Everyman fights his way through other men’s words to find his own truth.”
