"There is nothing either good or bad, 
but thinking makes it so."
~William Shakespeare

 




Nonoko And The Thief


There was an old Zen master called Nonoko who lived alone in a hut at the foot of a mountain. One night while Nonoko was sitting in meditation, a stranger broke into the hut and, brandishing a sword, demanded Nonoko's money.


Nonoko did not interrupt his meditation while he addressed the man:


"All my money is in a bowl on the shelf up there. Take all you need, but leave me five yen. I have to pay my taxes next week."


The stranger emptied the bowl of all the money it held and threw five yen back into it. He also helped himself to a precious vase he found on the shelf.


"Carry that vase with care," said Nonoko. "It will crack easily."


The stranger looked around the small barren room once more and was going to leave.


"You haven't said thank you," said Nonoko.


The man said thank you and left. The next day the whole village was in turmoil. Many people claimed they had been robbed. Someone noticed the vase missing from the shelf in Nonoko's hut and asked if he, too, had been the victim of the burglar.


"Oh, no," said Nonoko. "I gave the vase to a stranger, along with some money. He thanked me and left. He was a pleasant enough sort of fellow, but a bit careless with his sword!"


~Anthony de Mello


 



" Tolerance implies a respect for another person, not because he is wrong or even because he is right, but because he is human."
- John Cogley


P.S:
How wonderful to reach a level
of imperturbability/equanimity......
where even a man breaking in ........
brandishing a sword fails to evoke fear !!!!!!!!
Is it possible only for a zen monk ?????
Not really...considering the fact that he
is first a human being .....and then a
monk .......which means that with regular practice.....it is possible to be calm and balanced even in the worst situations.
What an amazing way to live !!!!!!!!
Namaste,
Bhagya