I was walking alone in my dream with a heavy knapsack on my back. The road was barren as if no one had been to this place for a long time. Out of nowhere, in the middle of the empty, deserted road, a monk joins me. He smiles at me as he walks along with me. I have no idea from where he comes from. Perhaps, I was so much exhausted and dehydrated due to the scorching heat of the summer that I did not see him coming. In the middle of my occupied thoughts, he breaks my silence and asks, "What do you see?"
I look at him wide eyed. What does he mean by this ridiculous question? Ever since he had joined me, he had been acting weird. Again, he presses the question with a gentle smile, "What do you see in front of you?"
"I see nothing" I said, in annoyance.
"Look again my child, what do you see ahead?" The monk says again with an unbending smile. This time, I take notice of his question and look ahead. There, I study the nature in brief silence as we walk along.
"I see the sun about to rise as it dawns, I see the little clouds floating, I see the mountains covered with snow on the peaks and more than that I see the migratory birds flying above us" I said, now looking at him sternly, trying to watch his expression which was nothing but a simple smile and crows feet stretching near his eyes.
"No dear, that's alright, tell me more" He persisted. Now, looking ahead as we continued our steps on the road where there was no sign of vehicle until now.
"What do you mean more?" I stressed, now getting agitated. I looked again. His gaze was now fixed ahead. The nature was still, breathtaking, and had unbounded love blossoming as now it was finally dawn. I couldn't find anything peculiar to notice.
The Monk, now smiled visibly more, "What do you see beyond all this?" He said, unmoved by my silence. I tried to understand what he was searching for, looking ahead towards the sun, the mountains and the nature's view. There was still nothing I could find distinguishable. I got more agitated that I couldn't find the answer he had been asking since we had began our journey.
Again, he asked now with more attention, "What do you see beyond the nature?"
I looked ahead, visibly stressed with the same question asked again. I couldn't find anything. In impatience, I stopped in my tracks, removed the knapsack I was carrying and sat on the road and watched the view in fixed attention. Meanwhile, the monk, looked ahead in the same direction as he stood.
"YES!" I said, "Now, I know what you were asking! There's the moon beyond the mountains, the sun, its rays and the nature!"
"Why didn't I see that?" I said in excitement as I looked ahead.
"Because we are always disillusioned by the things that's surrounded to us in the present that we forget our goal that has been waiting for us all this while, hiding behind the world of illusion." His voice now echoed my ears.
He was absolutely right. All my life I had been giving attention to material things so much that I had forgotten my goal. I was driven by the motivation to get attracted to the short pleasures that I seemed to lose sight of my goal. I felt really grateful that the monk had showed up in my life. I looked to my left to thank him.
All that was visible was the dried grass around me. He had vanished into the thick air. In sudden realization, I rose on my feet, looked around, blinking my eyes often but he was nowhere to be found. I was stunned for a minute. Was he there for real? Did he actually exist or was he some angel who was sent down to help me? Who was this person?
A sudden blaring of horn diverts my attention. I looked ahead and finally there, a tourist bus had arrived to pick me up for my destination. As I sat on the window seat, all I could fathom was that I was guided on my journey so that I could retrace my steps towards my goal that I had lost sight for a long time.
I look at him wide eyed. What does he mean by this ridiculous question? Ever since he had joined me, he had been acting weird. Again, he presses the question with a gentle smile, "What do you see in front of you?"
"I see nothing" I said, in annoyance.
"Look again my child, what do you see ahead?" The monk says again with an unbending smile. This time, I take notice of his question and look ahead. There, I study the nature in brief silence as we walk along.
"I see the sun about to rise as it dawns, I see the little clouds floating, I see the mountains covered with snow on the peaks and more than that I see the migratory birds flying above us" I said, now looking at him sternly, trying to watch his expression which was nothing but a simple smile and crows feet stretching near his eyes.
"No dear, that's alright, tell me more" He persisted. Now, looking ahead as we continued our steps on the road where there was no sign of vehicle until now.
"What do you mean more?" I stressed, now getting agitated. I looked again. His gaze was now fixed ahead. The nature was still, breathtaking, and had unbounded love blossoming as now it was finally dawn. I couldn't find anything peculiar to notice.
The Monk, now smiled visibly more, "What do you see beyond all this?" He said, unmoved by my silence. I tried to understand what he was searching for, looking ahead towards the sun, the mountains and the nature's view. There was still nothing I could find distinguishable. I got more agitated that I couldn't find the answer he had been asking since we had began our journey.
Again, he asked now with more attention, "What do you see beyond the nature?"
I looked ahead, visibly stressed with the same question asked again. I couldn't find anything. In impatience, I stopped in my tracks, removed the knapsack I was carrying and sat on the road and watched the view in fixed attention. Meanwhile, the monk, looked ahead in the same direction as he stood.
"YES!" I said, "Now, I know what you were asking! There's the moon beyond the mountains, the sun, its rays and the nature!"
"Why didn't I see that?" I said in excitement as I looked ahead.
"Because we are always disillusioned by the things that's surrounded to us in the present that we forget our goal that has been waiting for us all this while, hiding behind the world of illusion." His voice now echoed my ears.
He was absolutely right. All my life I had been giving attention to material things so much that I had forgotten my goal. I was driven by the motivation to get attracted to the short pleasures that I seemed to lose sight of my goal. I felt really grateful that the monk had showed up in my life. I looked to my left to thank him.
All that was visible was the dried grass around me. He had vanished into the thick air. In sudden realization, I rose on my feet, looked around, blinking my eyes often but he was nowhere to be found. I was stunned for a minute. Was he there for real? Did he actually exist or was he some angel who was sent down to help me? Who was this person?
A sudden blaring of horn diverts my attention. I looked ahead and finally there, a tourist bus had arrived to pick me up for my destination. As I sat on the window seat, all I could fathom was that I was guided on my journey so that I could retrace my steps towards my goal that I had lost sight for a long time.
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