Uncle and the nephew

"You have all the great qualities of becoming a good monk."

Sangharakkhita said to his nephew while on a visit to his sister's place. The sister had an inner feeling that her son would be a monk under Ven Sangharakkhita. That will be enough merit for seven generations, she contemplated.

"Do you mind if your son becomes a monk?"

Sangharakkhita asked his sister. The nephew too was immersed in a stream of thoughts: whether to become a monk or not! It's a great thing to become a monk, he thought.

But I have some promises to keep, he felt. But his mother had already finalized the decision.

"I don't mind. But better if you ask him too." She called her son.

"Do you like to enter our order?" Uncle asked politely. Those words soothed the nephew's mind. He said: "I don't mind."

This was the turning point in his life. On an auspicious day Snagharakkhita ordained his nephew and renamed him giving part of his own name: Bhagineyya Sangharakkhita. Bhagineyya means 'nephew'; the nephew of Sangharakkhita. Sangharakkhita junior then started following the lessons under the elder.

As a novice he had monastic duties to carry out. He would duly attend to the duties of the elder monk by clearing the chamber, fetching water, fanning with the folded palm leaf fan (talpatha)

One sultry noon, the nephew was relaxingly fanning the elderly monk. Both of them were silent.

The elder was in a meditative mood, and the junior did not like to disturb. While fanning, the nephew was thinking of his lay life. A stream of thoughts flooded into his mind.

"This is not the real life," he thought, "I must disrobe and go home. But what am I to do after that? A lot. I have a promise to keep. I can marry my cousin.

But for that I must have a proper job.

I can sure buy some she goats, they will litter pups. Then they will grow up. The mother goat will have sufficient milk. I can sell goat milk and have a wad of money. Then only I can marry. My wife will of course give birth to a child. A girl or boy, I don't care, a child is a child.

After all it's my own child. But when the child grows, uncle must see him, or her. On our way to the temple, my wife will probably start dozing off.

That's bad. She loses her control. The child will fall down. You wretched woman, I have to cry out. What have you done to my child? See it's a narrow escape. You are a careless woman. I'm going to give her a good beating with the goad I use to drive the bulls of my cart."

Thinking so Bhagineyya brought down the palm leaf fan onto the shaven head of his uncle.

"Oh ho. So you took me for your wife, eh?"

Bhagineyya knew his uncle could read others' minds. He was ashamed and sought pardon immediately.

"Don't worry," said the elderly monk, and without admonishing, he continued, "look, the mind is like that. It roams far and near. You must remember to control it. The controlled mind gives way to happiness."

(Retold from a story in Saddharmaratnavaliya)