Three monks practised meditation together, sitting by the side of a lake. One day, one monk said, ‘I forgot my mat.’ Instead of walking around the lake to their hut, he stepped onto the water and serenely walked across the lake!
Upon his return, the second monk declared, ‘I forgot to put my clothes to dry.’ He too walked across the water and returned the same way.
The third monk rose to declare, ‘your learning cannot be greater than mine… I too can match any feat that you two can perform!’ he rushed to the water's edge to walk across it. He promptly fell into the deep water.
He climbed out and tried again, only to repeatedly sink. The other two monks watched as this went on. After a while, the second monk said to the first, ‘Do you think we should tell him where the stones are?’
Just because something appears easy for others; it may not be so for us. Overconfidence arises from presuming that we can easily do what others do. We belittle the method and attach undue importance to our capabilities.
Tasks can be emulated, only by humble learners! That’s how we learnt to do many things in childhood. Let’s shun childish arrogance and embrace childlike humility and eagerness to ask and learn.
To learn, be humble to ask
To emulate the tough task!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
No comments:
Post a Comment