Monkey Business: The Shortcut That Isn’t

A Reflection Inspired by the Bhagavad Gita. The battlefield stretched endlessly before Arjun. Thousands of warriors stood waiting beneath the rising sun. The sound of drums echoed across the plain. Flags moved in the wind. And in the middle of it all, Arjun lowered his bow. His hands trembled. Not from fear of death—but from…

Far beyond the villages, high among the snow-covered mountains, a small river was born. It danced through forests. It sang over stones. It laughed with waterfalls. Every creature it met admired its beauty. “You are becoming a magnificent river,” said the pine trees. “You are swift,” said the deer. “You are clear,” said the birds….

he Monkey and the Meditation A young monk had been meditating for months. One morning he ran excitedly to the abbot. “Master! During meditation I felt completely free of desire!” The old abbot smiled. “Wonderful. Keep practicing.” The monk looked disappointed. “That’s it? Aren’t you going to congratulate me?” The abbot replied, “Who would I…

A young archer traveled a long distance to train under a master. “I want to become perfect,” he said. “I want to hit the target every time.”The master studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Very well,” he said. “Stand there.”He pointed to a narrow wooden beam that stretched across a deep ravine. The wind…

A Buddhist man had just moved into a new home and wanted to start things off on the right foot. So he picked up the phone and called the nearby monastery. “Hello,” he said. “Would it be possible for a monk to come and bless my house?” On the other end, the monk replied gently,…

Letting Go A senior monk and his younger apprentice were traveling together along a muddy countryside road. Heavy rain had been falling all morning, and the path was slick with wet earth. As they turned a corner, they came across a young woman standing at the edge of a wide puddle. She was dressed in…