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July 3, 2011

Can Extreme Renunciation Buy Enlightenment?~ Zach Rosen.

Photo: Mark Wagner on the incredible Dark Roasted Blend

Life is a Bent Twig

A man heard that he would find the secret to life in a far away monastery in Tibet. He had been restless and unhappy for his entire life. The man decided he must find this secret.

The man gave away all his money to charity, sold his house, his Ferrari and left his family. His journey began from his home in San Francisco where he closed the door behind him and walked to the bay. He found a cargo ship where he hid away with no food or water, for weeks until the ship reached port in Japan. From Japan, he walked. He hiked and climbed mountains until, his feet blistered and his clothing tattered, finally reached the monastery in Tibet.

He asked for the master of the monastery, who was sitting in lotus position. Overlooking a breathtaking vista of a vast mountain range, clouds floated by as the peaceful master gazed at him gently.

He asked the master, “I have learned you know the secret to life, is this true?”

The master smiled and said, “Yes.”

The man asked, “So will you tell me what the secret to life is?”

The master gazed into the man’s eyes and said “Yes.”

“So,” the man said, “Please tell me, what is the secret to life?”

The master smiled, and slowly and deliberately stated: “Life is a bent twig.”

For the man who had traveled so far, this moment in time hung in eternity.

Then the man’s face turned red, his pulse raced, and barely controlling his rage, he screamed:

“LIFE IS A BENT TWIG? WHAT DO YOU MEAN LIFE IS A BENT TWIG? I LEFT MY FAMILY, GAVE AWAY ALL MY MONEY, SOLD MY FERRARI, AND BLISTERED MY FEET AND STARVED JUST TO HEAR: LIFE IS A BENT TWIG?”

The master looked calmly at the man and said, “So life is not a bent twig?”

~submitted by BuddahBear01.com.

Click here to find Zach Rosen on twitter: @buddahbear01

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