An Ancient Lesson

Once there was a monastary of Shaolin monks who from time to time would be attacked by a fierce band of warriors led by a monk turned Samurai. 

During a particularly bloody battle, the warriors hid in a dark cave near the main gate of the monastary.  The high monks' Chi and instinct led him to the warrior cave where he encountered, preparing to attack, the warrior's Samurai leader with his sword not yet around his waist and on a table behind the monk.

A hand to hand battle ensued until the monk was able to grab the Samurai's sword from the table and held the razor sharp blade to the Neck of the Samurai, and realized it was an old friend of his from 14 years earlier, but he did not kill him.  Instead the monk said to the warrior, "Such LIES and DECEIT!.....They shall only get you so far with others. Yet what of YOURSELF? How far will they get your zen within? Kill you and destroy your army I will not, but answer to yourself and your actions you will!"

The monk released the Samurai, kept his sword and sent him walking away in a direction away from the danger of the battlefield as a sign of respect and honor of their old friendship and Shaolin bond.

The Samurai was perplexed as he walked away, yet saddened and touched by the monks words and forgiveness as he approached a small wooded area behind the monastary.

All of a sudden, a searing pain filled his head, and he was unable to speak. He tried to look around yet could not focus his eyes or move his neck.  He fell to his knees in unimaginable pain as he realized an arrow was sticking halfway through his neck and the tip of it resting just below his chin, as he saw his blood beginning to run down his armor plated chest. In the haste of the surprise attack by the monk in the cave he had forgotten his helmet, which would have covered the back of his neck with its steel overlaping armor plating.

Unable to move, his eyes caught a helmet rising on the horizon, the Samurai recognized the helm, it was his highest general. The General spoke in a terse tone to his leader, "You have dishonored me. You have lied and been deceitful, and would have had us murder a man of great wisdom with whom you trained under long ago under the sacred shaolin codes of Honor, Respect and Life. You have broken all moral values and sacred bonds for your own gain, for which bloodshed is uncalled for!"

The Samurai leader, pale faced and gurgling blood raised his hand as if to speak, yet when he did, the world began to rapidly spin out of control.

The last memory the Samurai had was his head landing a few feet from his severed body, facing the General, who had pulled from his neck a medalion of the shaolin seal, once given to him by the monk 14 years earlier.

The General then stood, and beckoned to his personal guard to sheath his katana with which he had beheaded the Samurai.  He then gave the order to cease the onslaught of the monks and their monastary.

The next morning, as the sun rose, so did the General and his men. They left their cave without weapons, approached the front gate of the monastary and asked to speak to the high monk without weapons.

The high monk appeared at the door, calm and smiling, with an envoy carrying a tea pot and what rustic wooden cups they had available.

The monk then spoke to the general, "General, you must know that us Shaolin do not carry weapons in our hands as you and your warriors do! We carry them in our minds! What beckons you to my front door General?". The General kneeled before the monk and produced from his swordless belt, the necklace he had brought with him of the Shaolin seal from his Samurai leader, which he held up cupped in both hands as an offering of peace to the monk. "May we have tea? I have come a long way at this hour of the day." the General said to the monk.

The monk nodded in the affirmative, and said only, very calmly to the General "Be always true to yourself, lest others learn you have not always been true to them."

-GGH