Stories

SECRETS OF HEAVEN AND HELL

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stories

SECRETS OF HEAVEN AND HELL

A story from Japan.

The old monk sat by the side of the road. With his eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, he was in deep meditation.

Suddenly his contemplation was interrupted by the harsh and authorities voice of a samurai warrior. “Old man! Teach me about heaven and hell!”

At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently, growing more and more agitated with each passing second.

“You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?” replied the monk at last. “You who are so unkempt, whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair is so uncombed, whose breath stinks, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you in a funny way. You would ask me of heaven and hell?”

  The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised it high above his head. His face turned to crimson and the veins on his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared to sever the monk’s head from his shoulders.

“That is hell,” said the old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent. In that friction of a second, the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, and respect for this gentle being who had dared to put his life on the line to teach him. He stopped his sword in mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears as the full impact of the lesson was driven home by the extent of the risk the old monk had taken.

But one lesson was still left, as the warrior laid his sword humbly at the feet of the old monk and bowed deeply, filled with reverence and love for his teacher.

“And that,” said the monk, ”is heaven.”

Reflection: The Mind is its own place, and of itself can make A Heaven out of Hell, or a Hell out of a Heaven.

The End

 

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