(One of my favorite zen tales, I was looking back through this blog (fixing links, now that I learned how to do that) and realized I hadn’t posted this story. Many may have heard of this story, I am sure some have not but read into the moral and food for thought. A valuable lesson that I tell often, when someone says, “Tell me a story.”)

Two Buddhist Monks were on a journey, one was a senior monk, the other a junior monk. During their journey they approached a raging river and on the river bank stood a young lady. She was clearly concerned about how she would get to the other side of the river without drowning.

The junior monk walked straight past her without giving it a thought and he crossed the river. The senior monk picked up the woman and carried her across the river. He placed her down, they parted ways with the woman and on they went with their journey.

As the journey went on, the senior monk could see some concern on the junior monk’s mind, he asked what was wrong.

The junior monk replied, “how could you carry her like that? You know we can’t touch women, it’s against our way of life”.

The senior monk answered, “I left the woman at the rivers edge a long way back, why are you still carrying her?”

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(moral;  The senior monk had broken rules but for good reason. Once the purpose was fulfilled he put her down and continued on. He never gave it a further thought. The junior monk however did not touch the woman but he had brought up the actions of the senior monk when it was an action of the past. Therefore the junior monk was carrying the burden of what the senior monk had done as emotional baggage.

We have little use for the past except for the purpose of learning from our experiences, good and bad. Just like in the Buddhist monk story, we need to let go of any burden the past may place on us. It’s happened, it’s over, it cannot be changed, we can only move forward and create a compelling future.)

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food for thought

remember this story that I wrote on burdens…burdens weigh more, the more you carry them, like a bucket of water~

Being noticed can be a burden. Jesus got himself crucified because he got himself noticed. So I disappear a lot.
Bob Dylan

Books support us in our solitude and keep us from being a burden to ourselves.
Jeremy Collier

Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans upon his hoe and gazes on the ground, the emptiness of ages in his face, and on his back the burden of the world.
Edwin Markham

have an insightful day