A few days ago, after the evening meditation, Sensei gave each of the Monks a jigsaw puzzle box without saying anything.
Last evening after the meditation, Sensei asked for the boxes to be returned. All the Monks assembled in the mail hall. Sensei asked those who had solved their jigsaws to step aside and hand over their boxes to him. Head Monk, Inquisitive Monk & Truthful Monk did so. The rest of the monks looked glum. They had not solved their puzzles.
Before Sensei could speak, Angry Monk exclaimed, “Sensei, some of us got bad jigsaws. They were impossible to complete. For instance, my box contained only odd shapes, without any pieces with straight edges.”
Sensei smiled and said, “That is correct. None of you had perfect boxes. I had mixed them up. I wanted to make you all understand that your Life is also one big jigsaw puzzle whose pieces are not entirely with you. You have to look around and meet people who have your pieces, to complete your story. Some people may go away with some of your pieces, but they will eventually appear some way or the other. The trick is to look around and complete your puzzle of life.”
The monks clapped silently. Mischief Monk interrupted saying, “Sensei, we saw Inquisitive Monk and Truthful Monk discussing this with each other. But what about Head Monk? He never seemed to discuss his puzzle with the others?”
Sensei clapped three times and said, “Head Monk sent me his box with a note that said, ‘Sensei, I surrender all my puzzles to you.’ Sometimes, when you find the right person in your life, all you have to do is surrender your problems to him. He will solve all your puzzles…”
*****
