Two monks, after walking for a long time, finally arrived at the bank of a river. They had to cross the river to reach their destination. However, there was no boat. Moreover, the river was flowing turbulently, its waters muddy and swirling. Even the monks were perplexed, not knowing what to do.
There was also a woman there, apart from the two monks. The river was flowing violently and the woman was afraid to cross it. One wrong step, and she might lose her footing. Therefore, she was waiting, hoping that either the turbulent waters would settle down or someone would come along and help her cross the river.
It was at this point that the monks arrived. After carefully assessing the river, one of them gathered the courage to cross it. Watching him, the woman asked, “Guru, could you please help me cross the river too?”
The monk knew that, in order to cross the turbulent river with the woman, he would have to hold her hand. So he replied, “I am sorry. I do not touch women.”
He then stepped into the river and attempted to cross it.
The woman approached the second monk. Assuming that he, too, would give her the same answer as the first monk, she nevertheless decided to ask him as a kind of test.
“Guru, could you please help me cross the river as well? If I continue waiting here, I do not think anyone else will come this way. It is getting dark, too. If I could reach the other bank, I would be able to get home safely.”
Contrary to the woman’s assumptions and expectations, the monk replied, “Of course! Climb onto my shoulders.”
With that, the monk bent down and crouched on the ground, allowing the woman to climb onto his shoulders. When they reached the other bank, the woman thanked him and went her way.
The two monks were now alone. The first monk turned angrily towards the second and said, “I never knew that you were such a hypocrite, pretending to be virtuous while secretly being otherwise.”
“What hypocrisy have I practised?” asked the second monk.
“When even the slightest physical contact with a woman is forbidden to us, you carried that woman on your shoulders all the way across the river. Doesn’t that prove that you love women and desire their touch and company?”
“Oh, is that what you think?” The second monk smiled.
“When an emergency arises, we should help people not by considering whether they are women or men, but simply because they are human beings. Had we not helped her, that woman would still be standing on the other bank. Look around. The river has not yet cleared, and darkness has fallen. Can we be certain that some wild animal or wicked person will not harm her?
“When I carried that woman on my shoulders, I had no impure thoughts whatsoever. But I suspect that, throughout the incident, your mind was filled with improper thoughts. Am I not right?”
Hearing these words, the first monk lowered his head in shame.
Today, what we increasingly see are people who go about preaching morality rather than practising it in their own lives. They believe that it is their responsibility to protect the morality of every individual and of society as a whole.
There are many who mistakenly believe that a man and a woman travelling together, two girls walking hand in hand, or two men sleeping beside each other are all acts against morality and violations of ethical principles. This is a problem with their outlook.
What we need is a society that possesses moral integrity and a sense of values, not one in which people pretend to be virtuous while engaging in immoral conduct.
Pay attention to those who speak and write most fervently in the name of morality. When circumstances favour them, they are often not reluctant to violate the very moral principles they so loudly proclaim.
Things are not always as they appear to us. There may be more to a situation than what meets the eye. When we pass judgement solely on the basis of what we see, without understanding what lies beyond it, the truth may remain hidden somewhere out of sight.
Therefore, instead of judging a situation merely by what we see, we should consider its circumstances, context and necessity before forming an opinion. The first thing we need to do for this is simply to broaden our outlook.
Regards
Prof Antoney P Joseph
Managing Director
