|  |
WALKING ZEN
Putting
down your burdens
A long ago
time ago in the hills of Quong Zu province, there once
lived a revered old monk who was a master of Zen Buddhism.
One day he
decided that he would make a pilgrimage to a neighbouring
monastery, and not wishing to make the journey alone, he
decided to take along one of his young disciples.
They
started their journey early the next morning and in the
true spirit of Zen each walked along engrossed in his own
thoughts, and so they journeyed for many hours without
speaking. By mid-day they had come to a small stream and
it was here that they noticed a young girl dressed in
fine silk, obviously contemplating how best to cross the
stream without getting her precious clothes wet.
Immediately
the old monk walked over to the young girl and in one
smooth motion, he picked her up in his arms and walked
out into the stream, then after carrying her safely to
the other side, he gently put her down and walked on
without having said a single word.
His
disciple having watched this whole incident was in a
state of complete shock, for he knew it was strictly
forbidden for a monk to come into physical contact with
another person. Quickly, he too crossed the stream, and
then ran to catch up with his master, and together they
once again walked on in silence. Finally at sunset they
made camp and settled down for the night.
The next
morning after prayers and meditation the old monk and his
disciple once again continued their journey, once again
in silence.
After many
miles, and no longer able to contain his curiosity, the
disciple called to his master and said,
"Master
may I ask you a question" ?
"Of
course you may" his master replied, "knowledge
comes to those who seek it".
Respectfully
his disciple said, "yesterday I saw you break one of
our most sacred vows when you picked up that young girl
and carried her across the stream, how could you do such
a thing" ?
His master
replied, "That is true, and you are right it is
something I should not have done, but you are as guilty
as I am" .
"How
so" asked his disciple, "for it was you who
carried her across the stream not I" ?
"I
know" replied his master, "but at least on the
other side I put her down".
"You,
however, are obviously still carrying her".
Remember
If you
carry an unnecessary burden, put it down,
your
journey through life will be much easier without it.
Part the
clouds - see the way.
"The
objective of karate-do is to contribute to the evolution
of the
human spirit through physical and mental training."
Sensei
Peter Lindsay
|
