The Spring Festival started today. The Monastery Gates opened – as an invitation for everyone to come inside, meet Sensei and even attend some of the meditation sessions with the monks.
A young girl brought some roses for Sensei and handed them to him. After he received them, Sensei laughed gently and asked, “Where are the thorns?”
The girl shyly said, “Sensei, I plucked them out. I didn’t want them to hurt you.”
Sensei clapped thrice and said, “Roses and thorns are soul mates. Ever so often, the thorns look up, see the rose and feel content that their pain was worthwhile. And ever so often, the rose looks down, sees the thorns and remembers the pain it went through to become beautiful. Beauty and Pain are soul mates and should always be able to see each other. Don’t separate them.”
*****
