Saturday, September 22, 2007

Two Monks

Dr. Gallegos told me a story once while we were in Morelia. I don't remember the exact context but I think he was trying to help me with some mental stupidity of my own doing that I was trying to get past. It's actually a Buddhist story, but I though (and I think still) that the principle illustrated is useful for Christian practice as well. Don't try and figure out why I'm posting about this; I've sort of wanted to for a long time.
Two Buddhist monks are walking alongside each other on a path through the country. One is younger, and one is quite old. As they walk they pass a beautiful woman.

A couple of hours later, the younger monk turns to the older. "Say, when we were back there, did you have any...thoughts about the woman that we saw?"

The older monk looks back at him, and replies, "Yes. But I left my thoughts back there, and you have obviously carried yours with you."
At the risk that I should misinterpret the story, I'll let it say what it says, independent of what it says to me.

I'll post something about the clubbing experience later tonight or tomorrow sometime.

2 comments:

L-Po said...

Definitely food for thought.

Anonymous said...

A related thought on the result of letting something hold your focus. It's not new and has been shared in many a sermon... If you're riding your bike while sustaining a focus on a particular object, you'll tend to turn the bike in the direction of that object. The effect is most extreme for those new to bike riding and dissipates as you move toward becoming an adept.