There is a beautiful Oak Door on the west wall of the Monastery that overlooks the valley. It has a simple lock mechanism fitted on it.
The Oak Door is legendary. It allows any monk who can open it to become a Monastery monk after passing one more test. That is a valuable promise, considering that becoming a monk at the Monastery requires aspirants to attempt several difficult and complicated tests. The challenge itself is finding a key to open this door. So far, in the history of the Monastery, no one has succeeded.
The day before yesterday, at dawn, a man wearing an orange robe appeared outside the door. He looked around and saw a waste bin that had several keys used to attempt to open the door. The man had carried a trunk full of keys along with him and immediately began to work. He patiently inserted one key after another into the door lock, hoping to open it. For the next seven hours, he tried all the keys he had with him, but the door did not open. Surprisingly, the man did not seem frustrated. In fact each time a key would not work, he would smile.
Just as dusk was nearing, the man tried the last key he had with him. The door remained shut. This time the man laughed. He seemed happy! As he threw his last key into the waste bin, he pressed his ear to the door and kept it pressed for a few minutes. Then he stepped back, bowed to the door and left.
Yesterday, the man reappeared at the door. He came empty handed. He stood in front of the door and bowed to it. Then the man did the unthinkable. He began to gently knock on the door. He knocked on the door as if he was playing a musical instrument. He knocked on it ever so gently, rhythmically, patiently. He seemed to be making music with the door!
Just before dusk, the man heard the door creak and all of a sudden, the door opened. Sensei himself opened the door.
After dinner meditation, Sensei asked the man to speak.
The man said, “I am a renowned locksmith. I have opened every door and lock in the world that has been presented to me. When I heard about the legendary Oak Door, I came here with vanity, to proudly demonstrate my skills. I came with pride, arrogance and even contempt to take up a challenge that seemed so silly. The day before when all my keys began to fail, I gradually realized that the door lock was false and it had no key mechanic inside it. It was just an illusion. That is when I had a satori that some locks do not need keys to be opened.”
Sensei clapped thrice and said, “Sometimes, the key to many challenges is humility and the ability to ask for help. We do not have the key to every door in the world, but we do have the ability to request that it be opened for us.”
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