Category

Wisdom

Still carrying her

By Photography, Wisdom
Still carrying her

Still carrying her

Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.

As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied. Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. “Brother, our spiritual training teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your shoulders and carried her!”

“Brother,” the second monk replied, “I set her down on the other side, while you are still carrying her.”

[source: http://stories-shortstories.blogspot.com/2008/01/zen-story-still-carrying-her.html]

中文翻译

两个旅途中的和尚到了河边要渡河时,发现河边有一名年轻女子正在发愁如何过河。河流很急,她就请求两个和尚的帮忙。一个和尚正犹豫着,另一个和尚二话不说,抱起女子就过了河,把她放下河的彼岸。女子向和尚道谢就离开了。

当两个和尚继续赶路的时候,一个和尚不断沉思和忧闷。终于,他忍不住开口了:「师兄,我们的修行是要守戒的,不能和女人有接触,可是你刚刚还抱着她。」

「师弟」另一个和尚答道:「我在河边已经把她放下了,你怎么还抱着她?」

Live on two principles 生活的两个原则

By Photography, Wisdom
Little plant

Little plant

I came across this wise story on the net:

A young man through the mountains came upon an old man who was busy planting a tiny almond tree.

Knowing that almond trees take many years to mature, the young man commented to the old man “It seems odd that a man of your advanced age would plant such a slow-growing tree!”.

The old man replied “I like to live my life based on two principles. One is that I will live forever. The other is that this is my last day.”

我在网上读到了这么个故事:

一个年轻人经过了山头,遇到了一位老者正在忙着种棵杏仁树。

年轻人知道杏仁树要很多年才会开花结果,就建议老者:“我很惊讶见到你这么大了年纪的人,竟然会种这么棵很慢成长的树。”

老者答到:“我生活喜欢基于两个原则;一、我将会永远活着。二、今天是我活着的最后一天。”

Lincoln and the helpless little creature

By Compassion, Drawing and artwork, Wisdom

Lincoln and the helpless little creature - by CJ

Lincoln and the helpless little creature - by CJ

“I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.”
– Abraham Lincoln

In reply to friends who chided him for delaying them by stopping to return a fledgling to its nest.

Compassion is how a mother’s tender heart quivers at the pain and suffering of her child when the child is sick. A mother is willing to do anything to alleviate her child’s suffering. As with boundless love, we also develop compassion to all beings who suffer pain and despair. A compassionate person cannot possibly be cruel to any being.

Love is the greatest kindness of all is a mother’s boundless, unconditional and protective love for her child. If we can shower a mother’s love on all living beings, our love would be boundless, unconditional and non-discriminatory. It’s boundless because we are reaching out to all beings. It is unconditional because we do not love with conditions attached or expectations of rewards or reciprocation. It is non-discriminatory, and this means it is given to all and not through selective choice or to one more than the other.

If we realize that all beings are subject to same vulnerability and mortality where all of us suffer from pain and eventual death, and all of us also appreciate being loved and cared for, then it makes sense to extend our love to all beings boundlessly, unconditionally and without discrimination. Just as we love our family and friends, let us widen our circle of love and kindness, and extend these feelings of goodwill and caring to encompass all living beings.

by Chan Kay Yein, Ph.D.

金钱背后的故事

By Wisdom

神气的驴子

两头驴子驮着沉重的背包,吃力地往前走。一头驮的是满袋金钱,另一头驮的是满袋粮食。驮着财宝的驴子因为感到自己驮的东西价值不菲,所以昂首阔步,把系在脖子上的铃铛都摆得悦耳动听,它的同伴则不声不响地跟在它后边。

强盗从隐蔽处蹿出来,扑向驴队

突然一伙强盗从隐蔽处蹿出来,扑向驴队。强盗跟追赶驴子的人扭打时,用力刺伤了驮财宝的驴子,贪婪地把财宝抢劫一空,对粮食则不加理会,驮粮食的驴子也就安然无恙。

受了伤的驴子全无刚才的神气,大叹倒霉,对同伴说:“还是你运气好啊,虽然不神气,却总不至于挨刀子。“

金钱背后的故事

越神气的位置,就要承担越重大的风险。所以,当你置身于神气的位置时,请谨慎行事而别光顾着神气。

[source: http://blog.luohuedu.net/blog/View.aspx?essayID=108455&BlogID=11106]

Hakuin and the baby – just the way it is

By Drawing and artwork, Wisdom
Hakuin and the baby - by CJ

Hakuin and the baby - by CJ

There was a monk named Hakuin (白隠 慧鶴) who was well respected for his work among the people.

In the village, there lived a young woman, the daughter of the food sellers. The young woman became pregnant by her boy friend who worked nearby in the fish market. When the parents found out about this, they were very angry and pressured her to reveal the name of the father. She wanted to protect the young man and blurted out the name of Hakuin as the father.

After the baby was born, the parents took the baby to Hakuin. They told Hakuin that he was responsible for the baby and left the infant with him. He responded: “Is that so?” And he simply accepted the responsibility for the child without further reaction.

The monk had no experience with babies. But he began to care for its needs, finding food, clothing, and warm shelter. The other villagers became very angry with Hakuin for his offense and his reputation was trashed. In addition, his disciples left him. These comments did not affect Hakuin, who continued to put his effort and attention into the care of the baby.

After several years, the young woman was filled with remorse. She confessed to her parents the name of the true father –  the real father was not Hakuin but rather a young man who worked at the local fish market. They immediately went to see Hakuin, apologized, and took the baby back with them. Hakuin watched as they returned to there home with the child he had cared for since birth and replied “Is that so?”

Comments:

“Is that so?” reflects the acceptance of what the moment brings. Acceptance in the sense that one responds appropriately to the situation with a calm mind and spirit. There are no calls of fairness or unfairness, of being experienced in the task or not, of complaining about a lost reputation, of wishing that it were different. The needs of present are simply addressed.

More than the physical situation, it is the spirit of the monk’s mind at the initial instant that the situation arises that makes his actions so compelling. It is not passive acceptance; there is direct action here. The calm mind allows effort to be fully directed to the situation without dispersal of energy.

The same tasks of caring for the baby could also be done with resentment or a turbulent mind. Then, there is room for fairness and unfairness, complaining and wishing it were different. Same tasks, but the energy is completely different.

All of these stories are about the reader, not a fiction story about the monk. The situation may be one at work, home, or with a friend that brings the same apparent unfairness and inconvenience to an individual at the moment. Responding with a calm or turbulent mind makes all the difference.

The calm spirit is within the potential of all humans.

[source: http://workingwithinsight.wordpress.com/2007/04/12/the-monk-hakuin-and-the-baby%e2%80%94just-the-way-it-is/]