|
Spirituality
Inspirational Stories
The Secrets of Heaven and
Hell
(Author Unknown)
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 sat. In
deep meditation, he sat. Suddenly his zazen was interrupted by the harsh and
demanding 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. You whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose
hair is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty and neglected. You who
are ugly and whose mother dresses you funny. 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 its
shoulders.
"That is hell," said the
old monk gently, just as the sword began its descent.
In that fraction of a second, the
samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and love for this gentle being who
had dared to risk his very life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in
mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.
"And that," said the monk,
"is heaven." |