Two monks are walking along a road together. One walks with great seriousness
of purpose. The other simply walks one step at a time. They come to a river. A
young woman approaches them. She bows, they bow. Then she makes her request: “O Noble Sirs, ” she says, “I cannot cross the stream by myself, would
one of you carry me over?” The first monk crosses his arms and shakes his head
NO! He knows the rules: monks must not touch women. The second monk bows
so that the young woman can ride upon his shoulders. The three of them cross to
the opposite shore and bow to each other again.
The two monks continue walking. The first monk is angry; he pounds his sandals
into the earth. The second monk walks as before. Finally the first monk cannot
contain himself any longer. “HOW COULD YOU!!!!????” he bellows, “You know
the rules about monks and women!” The second monk pauses and then bows to
his companion. “My friend,” he says, “I left the woman back there on the shore.
Why do you still carry her on your back?”
The monk who carried the woman across the stream had the knowledge, the
memory of what he SHOULD be doing and yet he ignored it; he has buried his
burden. The other monk’s memory told him he shouldn’t carry the woman…so he
didn’t and so continued to carry his burden.
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