The Wandering Monk
by Rodney Groves
The Farmer
The air had grown chillier the next day signaling the rapid advance of winter. The Zen master had assembled the monks together in the morning and had bid them a farewell. He was beginning his journey into the southland where he had not traveled before. With winter coming on, it would be warmer there allowing him the freedom of travel without the restriction of harsh winter conditions. The time had come for him to venture forth, to teach to other sentient beings that had not yet heard his word. With little more than a rice bowl and a few handfuls of rice he set out on a path that had been little traveled. Through meadows and hills he walked, slowly without hurry, happening upon a farmhouse as the sun was beginning to descend behind the clouds that capped the mountains in the distance.
The farmer, a lean and muscular young man, was tending to the livestock when he saw the master approach. As was customary with country people he greeted him with a deep bow and extended his hospitality, inviting this teacher into his home to warm himself by the fire and to partake of the humble meal his wife had prepared. Sitting at the table the master enjoyed the chatter of the farmer's children and the attention of the farmer's wife. It was rare that they had visitors, particularly one of spiritual inclination. They were eager to hear what their guest could tell them about his travels and about his gained wisdom.
"The emperor had heard of the healing powers of meditation..."
"I have been on the road for many years," the master spoke, reminiscing about his past, "and yet I never fail to be delighted to meet people. It is a great pleasure to me to connect to someone that I had never encountered before." The master smiled at the farmer and his family who had given him their undivided attention. His calm, strong presence was magnetic." This moment reminds me of the encounter that I had with the emperor himself. He had heard of my teachings and had ordered his guardsmen to fetch me from a monastery where I had been living for a time, teaching the monks there the virtues of meditation. I was treated in a most hospitable manner and upon my delivery to the emperor I was, much to my surprise, catered to lavishly in a way that I was greatly unaccustomed to." The farmer and his family were captured by every word their visitor spoke. "The emperor had heard of the healing powers of meditation and had fetched me so that I might impart upon him the 'tricks of the process', as he called it. 'Who better to teach me, the Emperor, than the great master himself.' he had said to me."
The visitor, a colorful fellow, had used his deep booming voice when he imitated the emperor. This had made the children laugh. Encouraged by their glee, he stood and began walking about the room as though he were on stage, raising his arms and acting out the scene as though it were a play and this was his paying audience. "For weeks I resided at the royal palace being catered to and lavished upon. Every morning and every evening the emperor and I would meet for lessons on meditation. For weeks the emperor practiced and practiced as I instructed him, but only grew more and more frustrated as each day passed. It was as though he was expecting me to wave a magic wand and to have heaven open up to him with colorful lights and choirs of angels singing. The time soon came that I had to leave the palace as I was beginning to wonder if perhaps my life was in some danger as the emperor grew impatient with himself, and with me. He graciously accepted my departure as he had lost interest in learning the 'tricks of the process' and I journeyed into the countryside to be alone with nature to reconnect to my deepest peace."
The farmer's family all joked about the impatience of the emperor and the youngest child could not resist putting on a face of indignation, imitating the emperor in his frustration. "Tell me teacher", the farmer spoke, "what is the reason that such a great man as the emperor was unable to master such a simple thing as meditation?" The story had indeed piqued the farmer's interest. After all, the emperor was a man who was thought to be infallible. Certainly this challenge was not beyond his abilities. The master sat down again at the table, folded his hands and slightly bowed his head. "I wish to make no fun at the emperor's expense and I wish to show no disrespect", he spoke quietly, "the purpose of my story is only to visualize the lesson that even the greatest among us have difficulty in mastering themselves. The emperor is a young man who is accustomed to having instant gratification. When he speaks the ladies of the court are at his beck and call, the soldiers at his command bow to his every whim. Some even believe that the rivers change course according to his will. Yes, he is a great man but even the greatest of men find it difficult to have patience, to allow the universe to work in its own time as it sees fit to do. What the emperor failed to understand is that when we meditate it is necessary to do so with no goals in mind. We must simply learn to be in the now, in the very moment. We must develop infinite patience and allow our thoughts to settle without attaching our attention to them. We must allow our mud to settle. The purpose of our meditation is simply to learn to be, to fully experience the moments of life at their deepest level. In this we learn to see the divine essence of life and learn to reach a higher understanding than we otherwise would.
"It is necessary that we learn to live our lives in perfect faith. We must have faith in ourselves, in all others and in the intention of the universe itself. We must realize that we are here for a purpose that is divine and pure. When this is our understanding our lives will become full, rich and harmonious, even if we are without the physical comforts and the physical gratifications that are so very abundant in this world." The farmer spoke with an inquisitive voice, "What do you mean when you speak of the intentions of the universe itself? Do you mean that if we believe, we will receive all that will make us happy? Is this the intention of the universe?"
The teacher looked deeply into the eyes of the suntanned leathery man who had taken upon himself the responsibility of raising a family and providing for their welfare by toiling in the soil and in the rice fields. "My dear friend", he spoke, " Yes, we must trust in the intention of the universe. We must have faith that our purpose for being here will be revealed to us and that we will be guided to understanding this purpose by the unfolding revelations of life. The universe will not provide all of our needs without our effort. Not even our spiritual needs. It will, however, direct us and reveal to us how we should help ourselves. It is in the toiling that we evolve mentally and spiritually. If we are not pushing ourselves to learn and to practice then we cannot grow in our abilities. We cannot wait for the universe to show us how to become more than we are, we must extend an effort and in this process the universe will assist us. By every degree that we try the universe will assist us in a likewise proportion. It will do so in the midst of our unawareness of it all."
The farmer sat silent for a moment absorbing what the teacher had said. Then he spoke, "What then is my purpose? Is it something more than what I am doing now?" The master smiled knowingly. "You are living your purpose now", he said. You are doing that which is noble and good. You are serving others. In this time you are serving the needs of your family, giving them love and necessary instruction. You are serving the needs of your community by providing that which they need, the crops that you grow. You are totally immersed in your divine purpose. A time will come, however, when your children are grown and you are too old to work any more in the fields. At this time your divine purpose will change. At this time you will become an icon to the people and an example of one who lives a higher purpose. It is then that you will teach the deepest secrets of life. Is your heart at peace?" The farmer nodded that it was. "It is in this that you will know if you are living your divine purpose." The farmer stood and bowed deeply to the teacher who stood and bowed deeply in return. A meeting of the souls had transpired and for a few moments they each had awakened to their Oneness. In the early morning, when the master had quietly departed, leaving no physical trace of his having been there, the farmer awoke to realize that somewhere in the unknown world a friend, a spiritual brother, was on his sacred journey.