Sensei gathered the monks in the auditorium. He instructed them to gently shut their eyes and said, “Vividly imagine things that give you happiness. Then remember me.”
Thirty five minutes later, Sensei made the monks open their eyes. The auditorium was dark. Using his special gifts, Sensei projected what the monks had imagined on the auditorium screen.
There were scenes of tropical beaches, sumptuous food buffets, luxury hotel rooms, and even a sauna. There was one scene of a bar with lots of drinks, sleazy dancers and a picture of Sensei hanging on the wall! Sensei chuckled on that one.
The last one was the scene within the auditorium itself – of the monks meditating in the comfortable darkness. Sensei spoke, “The last scene was of Head Monk. He imagined ‘Now’. As far as possible, celebrate ‘the now’, ‘the moment’ that you have. What may be, may be. But what is, is. Savour the moment because Now is always happier than Later.”
*****
