Meditating monkey
“Look at that monkey,” said a hermit to another in that forest. They
all are in the forest to meditate. But still they could not make up
their minds - their chief did not join them at the forest abode as yet.
The chief asked them not to engage in anything till he joins them
later. But the hermits hardly paid heed to that. They were doing all
sorts of things from making faces to making fun with each other.
While things went on like this for sometime, the hermits noticed a
bunch of monkeys roaming in the forest. And there was one particular
young monkey who came down and joined them.
This young monkey started imitating the hermits. So it too started
making faces and making fun with the hermits. At first the hermits
enjoyed the sight, but as days went by the monkey’s behaviour got under
their skin. The monkey nevertheless continued to make fun with the
hermits.
“We have to get rid of this fellow,” one hermit said.
“Perhaps we can drive him out,” suggested another.
“Anyway we are to blame. We should not have behaved like that in the
first place,” another hermit commented.
“Our chief will blast us for sure. Better if we can leave this place
soon.”
The hermits agreed with the last suggestion. Even as they were
leaving the forest, the monkey continued to behave eccentrically. When
the chief finally turned up he realized all his disciples are gone. He
slowly sat under a mango tree.
Then he saw the monkey.
The monkey understandably did not know this was the chief hermit. So
it made a funny fact at him too. Chief observed the monkey’s behaviour
for some time, and eventually realized the creature was up for some
mischief.
“Where did you learn these frolics?”
The monkey’s lips and hands moved as if to say something. It was some
indirect reference to the hermits, the chief understood.
“Perhaps you must give up that kind of behaviour for your own good,”
the chief said. But the monkey didn’t get it. It went on making more and
more faces.
“Hey, listen to me,” the chief’s tone was stern, but still
maintaining the calmness, “knowing or unknowing you have learnt
something. Now you are going to sit like this, right?”
The chief sat cross-legged in the meditative posture – he knew the
monkey will imitate him. The monkey was in that posture for a long time.
Gradually the beast changed his irritable nature for his own good. As he
opened eyes, the chief noticed the change in the monkey.
“Good boy. You are so good, you know that, just as good as a human,”
chief commented. Monkey looked at the chief – if it understood the
hermit’s words I’m not quite sure. As long as the animal went on
imitating the chief, his mind became calm and serene.
Other monkeys noticed this change.
Remember those hermits who left the forest? They came back after some
days to check on their chief. They were quite surprised to notice the
change in the monkey. “Look, he has changed a lot,” one hermit opined.
“Yes he has. For his own good,” the chief said with his gaze cast down –
that was a gesture of meditation. His disciples thronged around and sat
in silence.
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