Post by Voxxkowalski on Apr 30, 2016 21:23:48 GMT -5
I posted this on another thread it turned out so well I posted here...comments welcome
The Barefoot Monks © JKC 2014
This is the story of how two monks decided to give up wearing shoes...
One day the thought came to brother Zeno that he had no experience with shunning covetousness and selfishness since he owned nothing...so he proposed an idea to his brother religious Demetrius (of course not all of Brother Zenos ideas were good ideas):
“Brother since we have never owned anything except the clothes on our back and the shoes on our feet...and since we have spent all these years in desert isolation I fear I have not actually over come covetousness, but merely have never encountered it to resist it ...I propose that I will pick the largest pebble from inside my shoe and proclaim it my possession...what do you say Demetri?"
Well Demetrius saw no harm so he said:
"Surely brother it will be a good exercise to develop our character...and what harm can an insignificant pebble do?"
Zeno smiled and reached down closing his eyes and felt around inside his tattered walking shoe till he felt a pea sized stone among the sandy bits of gravel...opening his eyes he pulled it out and proclaimed..." This my brother Demetrius is my pebble and you may not have it...and slid it into his pocket"
They both had a little laugh and went about their chores and prayers. Over the weeks and months that followed Zeno had gotten into the habit, during his walks, of reaching in his pocket and fumbling and rubbing the pebble between his rough skinned fingers…he began to look at it at night by candle after finishing his prayers and turning in. Over these months his nervous fingers had begun to smooth it and it had formed into a very pleasing little pebble to look at...it began to become of concern to him that he not lose the pebble...it began to distract him from his prayers...he found himself fingering the pebble in his pocket more than even his beads...and it grew ever more pleasing and smooth.
Meanwhile in the same amount of time Brother Demetrius had grown curious about Zeno's pebble. "He never has even so much as shown it to me since he pocketed it." he thought. "Maybe he would let me see it...and hold it...and what harm to let me proclaim it my possession for a while?" At Chores when Demetri saw Zeno he noticed Zeno would always keep his hand in his left pocket...only drawing it out when some chore or reason required it.
"Is that where you keep your pebble brother?" Ask Demetri
Looking up in a startled way Zeno said with a kind of hiss
"You know that it is brother...why do you ask?"
"Well over the months since you found the stone you haven’t so much as showed it to me...do you still have it?”"
"Of course I do...why wouldn’t I?" Zeno snapped
" No need to get angry brother I just wanted to see it...may I?"
" No you may not...it is my pebble...and you may damage it."
" How absurd brother...how could I damage it?"
Zeno thought a minute and then annoyed at being accused of being absurd said
"Ok brother you may see it...even hold it if you wish...but you must return it right away."
“Of course!” Said brother Demetrius
Zeno reached into his rough clothed pocket with his rough skinned hand and pulled out a smooth pea sized alabaster white pebble…and placed it into Demetris equally rough hand. Demetri was amazed.
“This is the dirty rough pebble you pulled out of your shoe!?”
“Yes Brother now give it back…you’ve had it long enough!”
Demetri stepped back away from brother Zeno…closed his hand on the tiny smooth stone…felt the weight of it…looking at it… taking in its simple beauty.
He said to Zeno;
“Why cannot it be my possession now for a while…I mean after all you only pulled it out of your shoe?”
“NO! It is mine…give it back…don’t you see how I have improved upon it? Worked it into a very pleasing pebble? I will not Part with it!”
Zeno lunged at Demetri to snatch the pebble. Demtri moved quickly aside and Zeno fell to the floor of their cell in a scuffle of dust. Which made Demetri laugh. Getting up quickly Zeno timed it better and lunged again this time tackling Demetri into his straw and wooden cot…which collapsed immediately to the floor.
“Give me the Pebble!” Zeno shrieked.
“No! Its my turn brother…let me keep it!”
“YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER! Zeno screamed…drool and blood coming from his busted lip.
This caused Demetri to freeze where he lie.
“What did you say?”
Zeno fell back on his rear…his eyes as big as moons…and sat there speechless… panting and staring at Demetrius. Tears began to well into his eyes.
“Oh what have I said?”
Cupping his hands over his face he whimpered
“Oh heavenly Father what have I done?”
After a few moments he looked up to find Demetri weeping as well…the smooth white pebble lieing on the dirt floor between them.
“Brother?”
“Yes Zeno?” Demetrius answered in a broken whisper
“Forgive me?”
“Of course Zeno” He said in a calmer voice.
They both looked at each other…and then the pea sized pebble between them…and looked up again and began to laugh. Hard and loudly.
Chuckling Zeno said “Well I guess brother Demetrius we officially have experienced covetousness!”
“Yes brother Zeno…it seems we have! What shall we do now?”
“Well first we need to get rid of this.”
Reaching down he picked up the ridiculous stone went out the front door of the cell. Facing the broad desert before him he threw the pebble as far and as hard as he could…taking special care to not notice where it landed. Behind him he heard Demetri laughing. Zeno turned to him and said. “Second we need to begin our walk to the Monastery and ask the Priest to grant us absolution for our sins! And let us as penance not wear sandals or shoes on any of our walks for the rest of our earthly lives lest we risk possessing any pebbles ever again!” And with that they headed across the desert to their home monastery to confess their sins. And that is how two monks decided to give up wearing shoes.
The Barefoot Monks © JKC 2014
This is the story of how two monks decided to give up wearing shoes...
One day the thought came to brother Zeno that he had no experience with shunning covetousness and selfishness since he owned nothing...so he proposed an idea to his brother religious Demetrius (of course not all of Brother Zenos ideas were good ideas):
“Brother since we have never owned anything except the clothes on our back and the shoes on our feet...and since we have spent all these years in desert isolation I fear I have not actually over come covetousness, but merely have never encountered it to resist it ...I propose that I will pick the largest pebble from inside my shoe and proclaim it my possession...what do you say Demetri?"
Well Demetrius saw no harm so he said:
"Surely brother it will be a good exercise to develop our character...and what harm can an insignificant pebble do?"
Zeno smiled and reached down closing his eyes and felt around inside his tattered walking shoe till he felt a pea sized stone among the sandy bits of gravel...opening his eyes he pulled it out and proclaimed..." This my brother Demetrius is my pebble and you may not have it...and slid it into his pocket"
They both had a little laugh and went about their chores and prayers. Over the weeks and months that followed Zeno had gotten into the habit, during his walks, of reaching in his pocket and fumbling and rubbing the pebble between his rough skinned fingers…he began to look at it at night by candle after finishing his prayers and turning in. Over these months his nervous fingers had begun to smooth it and it had formed into a very pleasing little pebble to look at...it began to become of concern to him that he not lose the pebble...it began to distract him from his prayers...he found himself fingering the pebble in his pocket more than even his beads...and it grew ever more pleasing and smooth.
Meanwhile in the same amount of time Brother Demetrius had grown curious about Zeno's pebble. "He never has even so much as shown it to me since he pocketed it." he thought. "Maybe he would let me see it...and hold it...and what harm to let me proclaim it my possession for a while?" At Chores when Demetri saw Zeno he noticed Zeno would always keep his hand in his left pocket...only drawing it out when some chore or reason required it.
"Is that where you keep your pebble brother?" Ask Demetri
Looking up in a startled way Zeno said with a kind of hiss
"You know that it is brother...why do you ask?"
"Well over the months since you found the stone you haven’t so much as showed it to me...do you still have it?”"
"Of course I do...why wouldn’t I?" Zeno snapped
" No need to get angry brother I just wanted to see it...may I?"
" No you may not...it is my pebble...and you may damage it."
" How absurd brother...how could I damage it?"
Zeno thought a minute and then annoyed at being accused of being absurd said
"Ok brother you may see it...even hold it if you wish...but you must return it right away."
“Of course!” Said brother Demetrius
Zeno reached into his rough clothed pocket with his rough skinned hand and pulled out a smooth pea sized alabaster white pebble…and placed it into Demetris equally rough hand. Demetri was amazed.
“This is the dirty rough pebble you pulled out of your shoe!?”
“Yes Brother now give it back…you’ve had it long enough!”
Demetri stepped back away from brother Zeno…closed his hand on the tiny smooth stone…felt the weight of it…looking at it… taking in its simple beauty.
He said to Zeno;
“Why cannot it be my possession now for a while…I mean after all you only pulled it out of your shoe?”
“NO! It is mine…give it back…don’t you see how I have improved upon it? Worked it into a very pleasing pebble? I will not Part with it!”
Zeno lunged at Demetri to snatch the pebble. Demtri moved quickly aside and Zeno fell to the floor of their cell in a scuffle of dust. Which made Demetri laugh. Getting up quickly Zeno timed it better and lunged again this time tackling Demetri into his straw and wooden cot…which collapsed immediately to the floor.
“Give me the Pebble!” Zeno shrieked.
“No! Its my turn brother…let me keep it!”
“YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER! Zeno screamed…drool and blood coming from his busted lip.
This caused Demetri to freeze where he lie.
“What did you say?”
Zeno fell back on his rear…his eyes as big as moons…and sat there speechless… panting and staring at Demetrius. Tears began to well into his eyes.
“Oh what have I said?”
Cupping his hands over his face he whimpered
“Oh heavenly Father what have I done?”
After a few moments he looked up to find Demetri weeping as well…the smooth white pebble lieing on the dirt floor between them.
“Brother?”
“Yes Zeno?” Demetrius answered in a broken whisper
“Forgive me?”
“Of course Zeno” He said in a calmer voice.
They both looked at each other…and then the pea sized pebble between them…and looked up again and began to laugh. Hard and loudly.
Chuckling Zeno said “Well I guess brother Demetrius we officially have experienced covetousness!”
“Yes brother Zeno…it seems we have! What shall we do now?”
“Well first we need to get rid of this.”
Reaching down he picked up the ridiculous stone went out the front door of the cell. Facing the broad desert before him he threw the pebble as far and as hard as he could…taking special care to not notice where it landed. Behind him he heard Demetri laughing. Zeno turned to him and said. “Second we need to begin our walk to the Monastery and ask the Priest to grant us absolution for our sins! And let us as penance not wear sandals or shoes on any of our walks for the rest of our earthly lives lest we risk possessing any pebbles ever again!” And with that they headed across the desert to their home monastery to confess their sins. And that is how two monks decided to give up wearing shoes.