Lesson of Truth

Once upon a time on the outskirts of a very big city in China there stood an old and mythical Buddhist Monastery. From an age of ten years to sixty years, the people who wanted to learn and practice Buddhism would come to this old monastery to learn from their Old Buddhist teacher.

One fine day, the Buddhist monk who ran this small, old Monastery decided to teach his students a lesson. He gathered them around him, and spoke, "My dear students and fellow monks, as you can see, I am growing very old, and getting slow. I can no longer provide for the needs of the monastery as I once did. I know I have not yet taught you how to earn yourself a living, and so I can only think of one thing that can keep our school from closing." The students and monks drew close with eyes wide

"Our nearby city is full of wealthy and rich people with more money in their purses than they could ever need in their life. I want you to go into the city and follow those rich people as they walk through the crowded streets, or when they walk down the deserted places and alleyways. When no one is looking, you must steal their purses and all their money from them. That way we will have enough money to keep our school alive and still running for upcoming students".

"But Master," the boys murmured and chorused to each other in disbelief, "you have taught us that it is wrong to take anything that until it does not belong to us"

"Yes, indeed I have told you and always will," their old teacher replied. "It would be wrong to steal if it were not necessary. And always remember, you must not be seen! If anyone does see you, you must not steal! Do you understand?"

The students looked nervously from one to the other. Had their beloved teacher gone mad? His eyes have never had such intensity. "Yes, Master! Whatever you say," they said quietly.

“Good," the old monk said. "Now go, and remember, you must not be seen at all !"

The students got up and quietly began to run out in a queue out of the old Monastery building. The old monk rose slowly and watched them go.

When the old monk turned back inside, he saw that one young student was still standing quietly in the corner of the room. "Why did you not go with the others?" he asked the boy. "Do you not want to help save our beautiful monastery?"

"I do, my master," said the young boy quietly. "But you said that we had to steal without being seen and I know the truth that there is no place on Earth that I would not be seen because the Almighty and I would always see myself stealing the person's money."

"Excellent young boy!" exclaimed the old teacher. The old teacher felt proud that he had taught his student well enough to know the difference between right and wrong. "That is just the lesson that I hoped my students would learn, but you were the only one to see it. Run and tell your friends to return to the monastery before they get us into trouble."

The young boy ran and got his friends who were nervously gathered just out of sight of the monastery, trying to decide what to do. When they returned, their beloved Master told them the words the young boy had told and all of them understood their lesson.