The Story of the Monk and the Warrior

A warrior entered a village in search of a particular monk. The warrior had learned that this monk was able to maintain a calm and balanced demeanor in most any situation. Whatever distractions life presented, he was always able to maintain emotional balance. He was consistent.

The warrior knew his own strength, being strong in battle.  His strength and power could not be matched, yet, he sensed there was something he did not fully understand about the monk. He could only think to challenge the monk about strength.

He approached the monk and challenged him. He said “I understand that you can maintain your calm demeanor in all situations, making you powerful. I am an undefeated warrior. What can you tell me about strength?” The monk looked at him with a peaceful smile and said “Come with me.” They proceeded into the woods until they came to a clearing. The monk brought the warriors attention to a bamboo tree which was tall and pliable. Nearby, he pointed to another tree. This was an old, tall, strong oak tree. “Which one of these trees is stronger?” The monk asked. “Clearly, the oak tree.” The warrior proclaimed. “Not everything is as it appears.” The monk stated. At that moment, they saw a storm was approaching. The monk said - “Let’s observe the storm.”

The storm brought with it strong winds and rain. At one point, the wind was so strong that the oak tree snapped in half and fell to the ground. However, bamboo tree survived the storm, eventually righting itself, as it stood previous to the storm.

The monk said “the firmer that we stand, the more resistance we provide, much like these trees. The more we resist, the more we likely we are to break.  We have many things happen to us in our lives which can cause pressure and push us to resist. The more we resist, the more likely we are to break as the oak tree did. The more flexible that we are the more likely that we are to bend and to adapt as the bamboo.”  

The warrior seeing the clear illustration, had no argument. He yielded and expressed gratitude for the lesson. The lesson is also clear to us. The more we allow ourselves to flex with situations. The less we resist change and “go with the flow,” the more likely we are to adapt and get stronger. The more balance we have in our lives. The more balance we have, the more consistent we are and the more reliable we are.