Two Monks & A Woman

I remembered a story yesterday that I perhaps read a decade ago, and I wanted to share it here. It was interesting that it popped in my head after so long of time. I think I first read the story in a Lama Surya Das book, but it might have been shared with me from another source.

It goes like this, there are two monks traveling on a long walking journey. As monks they have vowed not to have physical contact with women. As they approach a deep and rapidly moving river, a woman comes to them, and asks if one of them could assist her in crossing the river. One monk volunteers immediately, and carries her across the most perilous parts. When they are safe on the other side of the river, the monk and woman part, the woman very grateful for his kindness. The two monks proceed on their journey. A few hours later, the other monk begins questioning the monk who helped the woman, "You broke your vows by carrying the woman across the river, why did you do that?" The other monk responds, "I took a couple minutes and helped a woman cross the river and then left her at the other side, but why have you been carrying her for all these hours?"

I love that story. How often do we continue trains of thought that are no longer useful to us. The story reminds me to shift out of states that do not serve me, why carry negativity for minutes, or hours, or days, or weeks, or months, or years. The first monk broke his vow for a moment to do a greater deed than his vows allowed, and then with ease and effortlessness moved on in happiness and joy to the next segment of his life. However, the other monk stewed in his negative vibrations for hours, and was being critical of the other monk. The lesson for me is to create positive vibrations, moment to moment, to stay in the present, knowing that is where all my power is located. The moment I realize that I'm perhaps carrying the woman past the river, and I'm feeling negativity, the key as my teachers have taught me, is to shift quickly, drop the negative vibrations, and choose a better feeling vibration. The better feeling vibrations will lead to more and more good feeling vibrations, and very soon all will be well, and in its natural state.

The monk that helped the woman across the river reminds me of sayings that I see on bumper stickers, and are the words that I'd want to part with today. One is a saying coined by Joseph Campbell, "Follow Your Bliss", and the other is an invite to do "random acts of kindness."

May you be happy and well every moment.