The Parable Of The Two Zen Monks
Two Zen monks were on a
journey. They came to a little stream where the current was a little strong and
there was a village woman waiting to cross. But the time of the ferry had
already been over and the last boat had crossed over. The boatman had tied the
boat and gone home. But this woman still had to go across; she was lamenting
how she could spend the night this side of the river. The two monks were strong
and they did not worry about this stream. They tied up their cloth and prepared
to ford (wade).
Seeing the woman’s state, the
elder monk asked the younger to go and inquire what her situation was. Did she
have relatives there with whom she could spend the night? The younger monk went
and asked, and she said, “No, I do not know what to do”. Then the young monk
said, “Don’t worry mother, I will take you across”. So he lifted her up and
forded the stream in company with his senior companion and reached the other
bank and put the grateful woman on her feet and she thanked him profusely and
went. So they continued their journey, but the elder monk was very much upset.
It was against the rules of
their monastic order to touch a female, much less to lift her up in arms and
carry her for such a long time (two or five minutes, may be). So he was
completely upset. First of all he cast a glance of disfavor and displeasure at
the young man and even said, “What is it you have done?”. The young man said,
“Forget it”.
At last, walking several
miles, they reached their monastery and when they were about to enter, the old
man once again started the theme and said, “Look here, you will have to make a
penance; you will have to confess to the abbot; you have done something very,
very wrong”. And the young man said, “What is it that you are referring to?”.
“You carried that woman this evening.” The young monk looked with great
surprise.
He said, “Look here, respected
sir, I left her long ago by the riverside, miles behind, but you are still
carrying her in your head”. He had carried her across and had forgotten the
woman, but the old man all along was really carrying the woman in his head.
This is the condition, the great problem of man bound and man liberated.
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