DalTheJigsaw123 Posted October 30, 2011 A teacher of mine once told me this story: There once was a young monk who was preparing for a pilgrimage to a distant shrine at the top of a mountain. His master asked to examine his pack. So the student opens his bag and his master starts digging around muttering to himself "I don't see it... where is it?" "What are you looking for, Master?" "Your Enlightenment." "Master, that is why I am going to the shrine." "The only Enlightenment you find at the top of the mountain is the Enlightenment you brought with you." 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiverSnake Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) I love cool little stories that teach lessons, you can find them in all cultures and all myth is filled with them. I found this one on Jenny Lambs site: "In tradition, Taoist teaching emphasized telling stories. In this way, Masters would help their students attain self realization. The first story I am going to share with you is from my Yi Gong teacher." There was a Siddha who possessed great psychic powers. During a winter day on the mountain, he encountered a very heavy rainstorm. Rain was pouring down and it was very cold. He did not have an umbrella or any kind of shelter. He came upon a cave and intended to run in to escape the rain. However, there were two people who ran into the cave in front of him and there was no room left for another person. In reaction to the situation, he shouted to them that the mountain was going to collapse. The two people in the cave immediately ran out despite the downpour outside. When they ran out, the Siddha ran in to claim the shelter. As soon as he ran in, the mountain collapsed. He had forgotten his highly developed powers caused his words to manifest instantly. His words buried him in the mountain and he lost his life because of his own power. Of what benefit is power without wisdom? Edited October 31, 2011 by OldGreen 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
