Thursday, November 3, 2016

Naps with the Buddha

A Chinese Folktale

Once upon a time, there was a teacher who was a Buddhist monk. His great joy in this life was to have a snack and a nap afterwards. Before every lesson, he ate so much that he could barely move.

Soon after the beginning of the lessons, he always took a nap and slept until the bell for the end of the lessons sounded.

Lee was the son of a poor villager and was a student in the same school. One daty, Lee asked the monk:

"Teacher, may I ask you why do you sleep in all our lessons?"

"My friend," replied the monk without any embarrassment, "It just seems that way. During these minutes, I meet with Buddha and listen to His wise words. That's why I try to sleep as much as I can."

At one time, Lee took care of his sick father during the night and fell asleep at school in the morning. He slept so deeply that he didn't even hear the bell, which woke the monk.

When the monk saw the sleeping boy, he angrily took Lee by the ear and started screaming:

"Ah, you, little weasel! How dare you fall asleep in my class?"

"Teacher," said Lee, "It just seemed that I slept. I was with Buddha and listened to His wise words."

"And what did the all-powerful Buddha say to you?" snarled the monk.

Lee replied, "The all-powerful Buddha told me: 'Never in my life have I seen your teacher.' "
 
Copyright© 2010 John David Hickey