A young man sought to
join a spiritual community.
He arrived one
afternoon at the great house which held the community, and was met at
the gate by one of the members. The young man told her of his
spiritual journey, of his studies of the teachings of great sages and
prophets, of how he was called to a spiritual life with this
community.
“You can only reach
our house through this garden,” said the woman, leading him through
an iron gate. They entered a walled garden, with paths and trees and
shrubs and benches and green lawns.
They walked through
the garden, passing a gentle fountain in a wire cage, and a pond
filled with fish and plants. She showed him a small cabin, saying,
“you may stay here until you leave the garden. Inside you will find
a bed, and food, and drink, and books to entertain you, and paper to
write down your thoughts. Anything you write, you may take with you
when you leave, if you wish. But beside that, remove nothing from the
cabin.”
She then led him back
through the garden, to a stone pedestal in its centre. On top of the
pedestal was a simple wooden cup. “To leave the garden and join the
house, you must bring to the inner gate this cup, filled with fresh,
clean water,” she told him. “You may not take the cup into the
cabin. If you wish to leave by the outer gate, you may do so at any
time, but will never be able to enter the garden again. You are
welcome to stay as long as you wish.”
With that, she left,
and the young man sat down on a bench near the pedestal, to think
about how he would fill the cup. He considered, and walked again
through the garden.
He saw that the trees
held fruit, and the fishes swam. He considered the juice of the
fruit, but knew that it would not be thought of as water. He
considered the water of the pond, but saw that while it was filled
with life of all sorts, it could not be called clean. He heard the
gentle play of water in the fountain, and considered it, but while
the water was clean, he could not reach it through the wire cage.
He went to the cabin,
and made himself a simple meal. He thought as he ate, considering
again how he might fill the cup. After he ate and drank, he went
again into the garden, searching for something he might use to reach
the water of the fountain and fill the cup. He found tools, and
hose-pipes, and considered how they might be used to reach the water,
but was not sure that water passing through the hose would be clean.
He returned to the
pedestal, and stared at the cup until it grew dark around him. He
went back to the cabin, frustrated. He saw no way to fill the cup,
and could not see what the test would achieve. He considered going
home, where his bed was more comfortable, and his own things would be
around him, but he did not wish to be defeated. He went to sleep,
hoping that somehow things would be clearer in the morning.
When he awoke, the
ground was wet, and the cup was full.
Written May 2016
Written May 2016
