A Heavy Load
Two traveling monks reached a town where there was a young woman waiting to step out of her sedan chair. The rains had made deep puddles and she couldn’t step across without spoiling her silken robes. She stood there, looking very cross and impatient. She was scolding her attendants. They had nowhere to place the packages they held for her, so they couldn’t help her across the puddle.
The younger monk noticed the woman, said nothing, and walked by. The older monk quickly picked her up and put her on his back, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other side. She didn’t thank the older monk, she just shoved him out of the way and departed.
As they continued on their way, the young monk was brooding and preoccupied. After several hours, unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. “That woman back there was very selfish and rude, but you picked her up on your back and carried her! Then she didn’t even thank you!”
“I set the woman down hours ago,” the older monk replied.
“Why are you still carrying her?”
-Jon J. Muth, Zen Shorts
The task of not carrying things with me along my journey is one with which I am challenged on a regular basis - especially at the end of 2012. Here's to 2013 being a year of letting go, opening wide, and embracing life.
here's
to opening
and
upward...
and to
yourself
and up
with you
and up
with and
up with
laughing
ee cummings
