Two Buddhist monks are walking along a river in silence. They have a vow of chastity which requires that they never speak to or ever touch a woman. As they were walking up river, they came upon a woman who was desperately trying to cross the river to get to her child on the other side. It's a fast-flowing river and she is frightened to cross it by herself. One of the monks walks over to h...er and offers his help. He picks her up and his legs, made strong from walking mountain, valleys and rivers are able for the current. He carries her across the river, sets her down, comes back to join his companion and they begin again to walk in silence. About two hours later, the second monk says to the first, "I can't believe you carried that woman across the river. I can't believe you touched her. I can't believe that you broke your vows..." The other monk simply looks at his companion and says, "I put her down two hours ago. You are still carrying her." Is there something that we are carrying around that we need to set down? Let it go, set it free, stop letting it distract and limit you.
Francis Leavey
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