February 18th, 2012 • Posted by Sydney Smith • Permalink
I was once in the temple of a very great saint,
and while I was there I watched his people physically beat up someone who didn't follow their directions. I was appalled and went over to try to stop it. They looked at me with such hatred and contempt, as if to say, "Do you want some of this too?" It troubled me so much that I spoke to a friend of mine at the temple and asked his help in understanding how something like this could happen there. He said that he had no idea and suggested that I ask the teacher. So the next day, as I was heading up for a blessing, I decided I would.
En route, I reconsidered, thinking, This is my third day here... this man could be my teacher, so maybe I shouldn't question his teachings on such short notice. I resolved that if I didn't understand it better in a week's time, I'd ask him then. As I stepped up for the blessing, he looked at me and asked what my question was. I told him I had no question. He looked right through me and said, "If you don't have a question for me, then I have one for you: Why when you look around this place all you see is power trips, and when I look around this place, all I see is love? Please answer that for me." I returned to my place totally changed.
Resource: Levin, Daniel. The Zen Book.
