Yesterday, Sensei asked a few monks to accompany him to a nearby Monastery that housed a special elephant. The rumor was that the elephant understood spoken languages and reacted to it.
The monks reached the Monastery and found the elephant and his mahout (caretaker) in the far corner of an enclosed garden. There was a small shop selling flowers, fruits and garlands at the entrance.
The monks bought various items and walked towards the elephant. On seeing them, the mahout slowly walked to the corner of the garden and allowed the monks free access to the elephant.
The first monk to approach the elephant was Clever Monk. He offered a beautiful marigold garland to the elephant and said, “Oh Clever Elephant, I respect your intelligence. Please take this garland and put it back on me.”
The elephant took the garland and instantly ate it! Clever Monk was shocked and quietly returned to the group.
The next monk to meet the elephant was Wise Monk. He took a large bunch of bananas with him and said, “Intelligent Elephant, I wish you eat my humble offerings.”
The elephant took the bananas and then flung them far away, way beyond the garden. He also stomped his front right foot. Wise monk was scared and almost ran back to the group.
Angry Monk went next. He took a combination of flowers and fruits and told the elephant, “Look Mr. Elephant, I have come from far to pay my respects to you. Please accept my gifts and be respectful to us.”
The elephant took the gifts and trampled all over them and pushed Angry Monk away with his trunk. Angry Monk retreated, shouting, “Animals can never be clever. They are stupid creatures…”
Sensei giggled loudly when this happened.
Head Monk was the last monk remaining and had bought lots of fruits & garlands. He bowed to Sensei and instead of walking towards the elephant, Head Monk walked up to the mahout. He bowed to him, garlanded him, thanked him and gave him all the fruits. Head Monk bowed to the mahout once more and then slowly walked to the elephant. When he came near, Head Monk bowed to the elephant and said, “Dear Elephant, please accept my gratitude for meeting with our Monk group. We are grateful to you and your master.”
Just as Head Monk bowed again, the elephant wrapped his trunk around Head Monk and hugged him closely. He then raised him high in the air, gently carried him back to the group, and then placed him softly back to the ground. The elephant trumpeted loudly, flapped his ears and then returned to his place.
The monks were stunned and observed silence. Sensei gestured to Head Monk to speak and explain his actions. Head Monk bowed to all the monks and said, “The elephant understands respect and gratefulness. He has been trained by the mahout and has the utmost gratitude towards him. By respecting the mahout, we respect the elephant by being grateful to his source of being. By directly approaching the elephant, we demonstrate pride and greed; not wisdom and respect.”
Sensei smiled at Head Monk, clapped thrice and said, “By respecting the source of existence we respect all outcomes, no matter what shape or size they come in. Always respect your source of being.”
*****