Moral Story ‣ Grow in Silence And Let The Work Speak

After listening to their master’s teachings on the significance and advantages of silence, a group of monks-in-training decided to challenge themselves by meditating silently for two weeks without speaking.

The master had also warned them about the difficulty of controlling one’s urge to react in silence.

On the first day, they started with great excitement, and remained silent throughout the day. As night fell, the candle that gave them light started to flicker and eventually died out.

The initial monk exclaimed, “Oh dear! The candle has gone out. The second monk stated, “Excuse me, but we are not supposed to talk.

In an annoyed tone, the third monk asked, “What’s going on? Why did you both break the rule of silence?”

With a smile, the fourth monk remarked, “Amazing! I’m the only one who hasn’t said anything yet.”

Reflections:

Every monk spoke for a distinct reason, all of which are common obstacles in our spiritual journey: distraction, criticism, anger, and pride.

Lets look each one of the monk who broke their wow of silence.

* The first monk got sidetracked by a single aspect of his experience, the candle, and lost sight of what was truly significant – the practice of observing without reacting.

* The second monk was preoccupied with ensuring that others obeyed the rules, rather than focusing on his own practice. He was swift to criticize without realizing that he himself was guilty of the same thing he was condemning.

* The third monk allowed his anger towards the first two monks to influence him, and his outburst of rage ruined the day’s effort.

* The fourth monk went astray due to his pride, believing himself to be superior to the rest and thereby demonstrating his lack of knowledge.

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