One who subdues the wandering mind,
Buddha(Dhammapada verse 37)
which strays far and wide, alone, bodiless,
will be freed from the bonds of temptation.
ONCE THERE WAS A YOUNG MONK named Sangharakkhita. While he was staying in a village monastery, he was offered two robes and decided to offer one of
them to his uncle who was also a monk and whom he held
in high esteem.
When he tried to present the robe to his uncle, however, his uncle refused to accept it, saying that he already
had the robes required. The young monk interpreted his
uncle’s refusal as a personal affront. He felt so offended that
he decided on the spot he would rather disrobe than be a
part of an order where there were such arrogant monks as
his uncle.
Sangharakhitta wanted to leave the monastery right
away but his uncle asked him to stay and fan him a while
since it was a very hot day. Sangharakhitta did as his uncle
asked, but did so more out of a sense of duty than out of
deference, for he was still brooding over his uncle’s refusal
to accept his gift. And as he fanned his uncle, his mind
started to wander. “What will I do,” he thought, “as soon
as I become a layman again?”
Well, first he was going to sell the robe and buy a she-goat.
The she-goat would then give him many more goats and he
would sell them and finally save enough money to get married. Soon his wife would give birth to a son and they would
go to the monastery to show him off to their uncle. On the
way, however, an argument would ensue between them, for
he would want to carry the child as he drove the cart, but
his wife would insist otherwise. As he would make a grab
for the child, it would fall off the cart and get run over by
one of its wheels. He would then be so upset that he would
start beating up his poor wife.
At that point of his daydreaming, he accidentally struck
his uncle’s head with the fan. The old monk who was able
to read Sangharakkita’s thoughts admonished him, saying,
“It’s not enough to beat on your wife? You’ve got to beat on
an old monk as well?”
Sangharakkhita was so surprised and ashamed when he
realized that his uncle had been reading his mind that he
wanted to run away. Instead, the good uncle took him to
see the Buddha.
When told what happened, the Buddha spoke gently to
the young monk and said, “The mind can wander off and
think of things that have not yet taken place. It is best to
concentrate on the present instead and strive diligently to
free oneself from greed, hatred, and delusion.”
One who subdues the wandering mind,
Buddha(Dhammapada verse 37)
which strays far and wide, alone, bodiless,
will be freed from the bonds of temptation.
