Once an elderly monk and a young monk were trudging through the forest, back towards their monastery They came to a small river, which was in spate. The water was not deep but the current looked dangerously swift. They would simply have to wait it out.
On the same river bank stood a young attractive woman, looking tired, hungry and very anxious. With hesitation she approached the monks and said, "I have been here all day. I am desperate to get to my home on the other side. My young children will be waiting for me for they will be very hungry. Sirs please help me to get across, I implore you."
The less people think and feel, the more zealous they become. The young are particularly eager to be accepted and therefore always more earnest in obeying orders.
Being an ascetic the younger monk refused to even make eye contact and simply turned his back on the woman. He dismissively gestured to her to be gone.
The elder monk was a wise and spiritual man, he too had taken many vows, but he felt it no sin to look at and listen to the woman. With spiritual awakening comes compassion. The monk understood the anxiety of a mother longing to reach out to her children. He felt obliged to be of service and to assist the young woman in distress.
He set about putting together a makeshift raft, and when completed he waded into the river with the raft. He gestured to her to sit on it and she hesitatingly climbed on board and held on to the monk and raft for dear life. The angry young monk grudgingly followed the older monk.
Pushing the raft forward with one hand he began to slowly wade across the river. When they had almost crossed the the river, the raft was hit by debris and overturned, tossing the woman into the muddy water. As the young monk watched with shock, the elder monk plunged quickly into the water grabbed the woman and carried her safely towards dry land. The woman regained her breath and composure, then with folded hands and tears in her eyes, she bowed to the monk and touched his feet. After a few long moments she stood up and ran, on her way to her children. The two monks also resumed their journey but the younger monk now visibly very very angry.
He continued sulking even after arriving at their destination. After a long while, the elder asked the young monk, "Brother what is it that bothers you?"
The younger retorted, "You know what troubles me. You have broken your vows. You not only looked at but touched the woman, and even carried her across the river."
The elder monk with a smile replied, "Yes, I carried her. I believed it was a greater duty than obedience to my vows to help that poor helpless woman. However, I left her at the river's edge, but it seems to me my brother, that you are still carrying her." "Let her go"
