A Scene on the Path of Enlightenment

A man is walking down a path with his walking stick in one hand, an apple in the other and he sees a friend on a rock in the midst of a raging river who needs a hand to balance him so he can safely get to the bank. The man looks at his hands and they are full. He looks at his friend that is in need. Oh no, what is the man going to do?

The same scene, but the man has a bag of gold in one hand and a bag of gems in the other? What is the man going to decide to do for his friend? The man may think, ‘if I set these down someone might steal my valuables.’ He has just asked himself a question from the fountains of the river of fear. If the man cannot release that which is in his hands; the man may not help his friend.

On the path of enlightenment the man may set down all of his treasures and help his friend and if it is the right time, he will help his friend but he himself will fall into the river and be swept away. Those who are watching will say, “Oh what a good friend he was,” or “Oh, what a fool he was, he should have known better.” Then all the man’s treasures are picked up by others and those who watch mourn for the man’s loss. Yet, the River of enlightenment laughs at those on the bank. “Oh, my foolish children, when will you learn to release that which is in your hands? If you only knew where I am taking him; if you knew that only that by releasing things that are in your hands, are your hands emptied and ready, to hold the new things I place in them.”

In life we tend, and are taught, to hold on to many things; wealth, power, hatred, bitterness, spiritual leaders, security, fears, people, control, sorrow, pain from past hurts, ideas, the past, the future, and many more. Our hands are so full that we pile stuff in the front of our shirts, we make packs and bags to carry all our stuff and are so burdened down that we are unwilling to be en-light-ened. (Enlightened in this statement means to be of less weight). We are so burdened down when the River calls our name, we answer its call and say, “I cannot follow you I have too many burdens that I must carry. I have too many treasures to swim in your joy; my treasures will drown me.”

Still the River calls, “Come swim. Come listen. Come enjoy.” We know that our burdens will drowned us, but still the River calls. If we are ready and know how to release things then we are free to swim. If we jump in with all our possessions we being to sink; we begin to drown. We feel all our possessions are being stripped from us in the raging River. We lose this; we lose that. We think the River is so cruel that we say, “Life is unfair.” Yet the River is a tender mother that takes away our toys that so burden us; so that we can in peace and joy flow with the current of the River, for it has many things to show us.

Copyright 2007 James Wood

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