Last evening, there was a mimicry competition held at the Monastery. To keep it fair, the participants presented behind a curtain so that their voices could be heard. And on the basis a winner would be declared.
Head Monk announced that the person the monks had to mimic was Sensei himself! Head Monk said, “Say something that is typical Sensei. The winner will get to accompany Sensei for his morning walks for the next three days.”
The monks were excited and the competition started in earnest.
The first participant appeared behind the curtain. He clapped twice and said, “Monks, do not be deceived by a voice. It’s the message that matters most.”
The rest of the monks started laughing. This was so typically Angry Monk! He could not control his angry voice even behind a curtain. He was obviously not going to win.
The second participant clapped thrice and said, “Learn to be important even behind a curtain.”
This almost sounded like Sensei! The audience was confused and they waited for the rest of the participants to complete their performance.
The third contender appeared behind the curtain and said in a strong, firm voice, “We are all Sensei. It doesn’t matter if we are recognized or not.”
Immediately the audience knew that this was Arrogant Monk! In his arrogance he had even forgotten to clap! Clapping once, twice or thrice was typically Sensei. Arrogant Monk was immediately dismissed from the consideration set.
The fourth participant took a bit of time to appear. Once he was behind the curtain, he clapped once and said, “Often, voices and looks are deceptive. Only action distinguishes one person from another. Watch your actions and nothing else.”
Now, this participant also came very close to Sensei and the manner in which he spoke. The competition gravitated towards the participants numbered two and four.
The fifth participant appeared quickly and clapped twice. Then he said, “It is not possible to be anyone else. Just be yourself.”
No one seemed to bother with this contender. He sounded very plain and ordinary. Everyone began debating to choose a winner between the second and fourth participant. Finally, the monks in the audience cast their vote for the fourth participant and asked the curtain to be lifted.
What they saw shocked them.
Participant number two was Truthful Monk, whereas participant number four was Honest Monk. What made the monks swoon was to see Sensei himself standing on stage as participant number five!
The monks had not recognized Sensei himself; rather they had chosen Honest Monk as the best mimic of Sensei, even though Sensei had spoken himself.
Sensei clapped thrice, gurgled a bit and said, “When even I could not imitate myself, how is it possible for me to be someone else? Do not pretend to be anything, or anybody. Stop pretending and start being.”
*****
