Mother’s Advice to a Monk

Mother’s Advice to a Monk

A young Zen monk was also a Sanskrit scholar. He soon fell into a routine of lecturing to his brother monks on old Pali and Sanskrit texts. When his mother heard of this she wrote him a letter to the following effect.
'Son, I do not think you became a devotee of the Buddha because you desired to turn into a walking dictionary for others. There is no end to information, discussion, glory and honor. I wish you would stop this lecture business. Shut yourself up in a little temple in a remote part of the mountain. Devote your time to meditation and in this way attain true realization.'
He did. And in time he became an enlightened Zen Master of great fame.

A very dear friend sent me the above story. I felt she spoke as my mother and thanked her.

She protested that it was not aimed at me. I am sure she didn’t.

But the message got etched on my heart. Am I going to live it or waste it?

Partap
August 25, 2007