Monasteries of the Heart

In the early centuries, seekers desiring a deeper spiritual life went and sought direction from seasoned monks saying, “Amma (mother) or Abba (father), give me a word. Monasteries of the Heart continues this tradition by reprinting these wisdom stories.

Story 75
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Abba John said that the saints are like a group of trees, each bearing different fruit but watered from the same source. The practices of one saint differ from those of another, but it is the same Spirit that works in all of them.

Discuss: This story is similar to the Pentecost reading of each person receiving a different gift but all coming from the same Spirit. List one gift that you’ve been given, one way that you bear fruit in life. Are you satisfied with your gift? If you could, would you trade it for another gift? Why? Why not?

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Story 74
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Chuang-tzu was a Taoist philosopher, but he was also an artist of great skill. One day, the Emperor asked him to draw a crab. “Very well,” said Chuang-tzu. He would be happy to do it. But first he needed a country house and twelve servants, as well as five uninterrupted years. Five years later, the Emperor returned for his drawing. But Chuang-tzu had not even started work. “I need another five years,” he told the Emperor. And once again the Emperor agreed. At the end of that time, Chuang-tzu picked up his brush, and in a single stroke, he drew a perfect crab.

Discuss: I ask myself, is there anything in life that I work on with such concentration? What happened to Chuang-tzu in those ten years? It might be fun writing a journal entry by Chuang-tzu. Imagine that Chuang-tzu kept a journal during that period. Write one or two journal entries. Here’s an example:

Day 8, Year 6: I sat with CRAB in meditation for three hours this morning. Nothing. CRAB is still a stranger to me. Spent the rest of the day painting flowers. In the evening I walked along the sea and bowed each time a CRAB appeared. I am not ready to admit failure. Not yet.

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Story74
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A father left his village on business and while he was gone bandits came and burned down the village and kidnapped his son. When the father returned he found a burned corpse near his home and thought it was the remains of his son. Then father almost went mad with grief and, after an elaborate cremations ceremony, placed the ashes of his son in a beautiful velvet bag that he carried with him always. One day the son escaped from his kidnappers and arrived at his father’s home at midnight. He knocked, and his father who was holding the bag of his son’s ashes, said, “Who is there?” The child answered, “It’s me, papa. Open the door. It’s your son.” But the father was so certain that his son was dead that he told the boy to stop tormenting him and go away. The boy knocked and knocked, but his father never answered. He held the velvet bag closer and cried without ceasing. Finally the child left and the father and son never saw each other.

Discuss: Each of us clings to a velvet bag or some sort. What idea or “truth” do you clutch with absolute certainty?

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Story 73
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When a warlord, well-known for his cruelty, arrived in a small village he found it empty. “I see,” the warlord smirked to his aide, “that all the people have fled when they heard I was coming.” His aide paused a moment, “”Not quite, sir,” he said. “All have fled but one. An old monk has stayed.”

The warlord flew into a rage. “Bring him to me immediately,” he commanded.

When they dragged the old monk before him, he roared, “Do you not know who I am? I am he who can run you through with a sword and never bat an eye.”

And the old monk replied, “And do you know who I am? I am the one who can let you run me through with a sword and never bat an eye.”

Discuss: What one word would you use to describe the monk? Explain your choice.

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Story 72
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A seeker sought out Junayd as a teacher and said to him, “Many people have informed me that you are a supreme expert on the pearls of awakening and divine wisdom. Either give me one of these pearls or sell one to me.

Junayd smiled. “If I sell you one, you won’t be able to pay the price; if I give you one, coming by it so easily will drive you to undervalue it. Do like me; dive headfirst into the Sea. If you wait patiently, you will obtain your Pearl.”
--Sufi wisdom

Discussion: What is Junayd talking about when he says “dive headfirst into the Sea and wait if you desire Enlightenment.” Any personal experiences you can share?

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Story 70
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A philosopher asked Saint Anthony: Father, how can you be so enthusiastic when the comfort of books has been taken away from you? He replied: My book, O Philosopher, is the nature of created things, and whenever I want to read the word of God, it is usually right in front of me.

Discuss: What in nature nourishes you?

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Story 69
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Ryokan, a Zen poet monk, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of the mountain. One evening a thief entered the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal. Ryokan returned unexpectedly and caught him. “You have come a long way to visit me,” he said to the prowler, “and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.” The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away. “Poor thief,” Ryokan mused. “I wish I could give him the beautiful moon.”

Discuss: List five precious things that no thief can steal.

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Story 68
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One day a boy was watching a holy man praying on the banks of a river in India. When the holy man completed his prayer, the boy went over and asked him, “Will you teach me to pray?”

The holy man studied the boy’s face carefully. Then he gripped the boy’s head in his hands and plunged it forcefully into the water. The boy struggled frantically, trying to free himself in order to breathe. Finally, the holy man released his hold.

When the boy was able to get his breath, he gasped, “What did you do that for?” The holy man said, “I just gave you the first lesson.”

“What do you mean?” asked the astonished boy.

“Well”, said the holy man, “when you long to pray as much as you longed to breathe when your head was under water – only then will I be able to teach you to pray.”

Discuss: What lesson about prayer was the teacher actually giving to the young boy?

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Story 67
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A nun in search of enlightenment made a wooden statue of Buddha and covered it with fine gold leaf. It was very pretty and everywhere she went she carried it with her.

Years passed and, still carrying her statue, the nun settled down in a small temple where there were many statues of Buddha, each with its own altar. She began to burn incense before her golden Buddha each day but discovered, to her dismay, that some of the smoke wandered off to the neighboring altars.

So, she made a paper funnel through which the smoke would ascend to her Buddha. This blackened the nose of the golden statue and made it very ugly.

Discuss: What is this story about? Claiming/creating a symbol? Attachment to a symbol? Holding the same practice over time? Not accepting the practices of another? Other?

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Story 66
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One day Abraham invited a beggar to his tent for a meal. When grace was being said, the man began to curse God, declaring he could not bear to hear God’s name.

Seized with indignation, Abraham drove the blasphemer away.

When he was at prayer that night, God said to him, “This man has curse and reviled me for fifty years and yet I have given him food to eat every day. Could you not put up with him for a single meal?”

Discuss: Can you relate to Abraham driving the blasphemer away? Is it justifiable to “preserve peace” and keep silence when another is trashing what you hold dear?
Have you ever been with a person who insulted or demeaned something or someone you held dear? How did you react? How do you handle it when people with a diversity of beliefs end up at the same table?

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