letting go

A Buddhist parable:

A monk and his teacher were walking along the road when they came to a river with no bridge. A woman in a long dress was standing on the bank. She asked the two men if they would carry her across the river.

The younger monk averted his eyes, for theirs was a strict sect that did not permit its members to speak to women, let alone touch them.

The teacher, however, said to the woman, "I will gladly carry you across." He lifted her onto his back and crossed the river. He set her down at the other bank, and the two monks continued their journey.

The younger monk was horrified and outraged. He walked in silence for several miles. Finally he said to his teacher, "How could you do such a thing!? You know that we are not to speak to, let alone touch, a woman. Yet you carried her on your back! How could you do such a thing?"

The teacher looked at him and said, "I set her down at the river bank. Why do you still carry her?"