The Monk and the Leaf
"The Monk and the Leaf"
Once upon a time, there lived an old monk who lived in a small temple deep in the mountains. Every morning at sunrise, he sat under the same tree, closed his eyes, and meditated.
One day, a young traveler passed by, exhausted from hiking and restless at heart. He watched the monk for a while and finally asked:
"Master, what are you doing so quietly?"
The monk smiled gently without opening his eyes.
"I sit. I breathe. I am."
The young man frowned.
"But that doesn't get you anywhere! I want answers. I want change. I want to know who I really am."
The monk slowly opened his eyes, picked up a small fallen leaf from the ground, and handed it to the boy.
"Look at this leaf. It is still. It is light. And yet it is full of life—it moves with the wind, but doesn't fight it. It is simply there."
The boy examined the leaf. Nothing seemed special.
"And what am I supposed to learn from it?"
The monk smiled.
"You are like this leaf. When you stop fighting, you hear yourself. When you become still, you hear life. Meditation is not a doing, but a being."
Confused, but deeply touched, the boy stayed for a few days. He learned to breathe in the morning, to sit still, and let his thoughts drift by like clouds.
One morning he said to the monk:
"I haven't done anything—but I feel lighter than ever."
The monk nodded.
"Sometimes the greatest thing you can do is to be completely present."