The Most Precious Secret

Photo by Kathleen Franklin
Photo by Kathleen Franklin

The disciples wanted to know the different stages the master had to go through in his quest for enlightenment.

The master said, “Well, in the beginning, I was full of action. I thought enlightenment lay in doing kind and worthy deeds. Then I went through suffering and pain, and I stayed there until I could control my heart and stay unattached to anything. I learned to love, and my passion consumed my very core, burning away the self and all its petty desires. Then, I learned to be silent. In silence, I contemplated the mysteries of life and death and they gave up their secrets to me.”

The master paused to sip some tea.

“But finally,” he continued, “I learned the most precious secret of all.”

“And what is that?” asked the disciples.

“I learned to laugh,” replied the master as he howled with glee.

One Reply to “The Most Precious Secret”

  1. While reading your posts, I always sense myself like the grateful disciple and accept the precious gift of silence which always talk so eloquently at our right approach (the willingness to listen)
    I enjoy your blog as an inexhaustible spring of the healing wisdom.
    So while reading your article I have grasped what my last post http://artbytomas.blogspot.com/2010/02/peace-and-love.html lack for. That’s the laugh.
    It would be fine if I could echo the master with my “I too have learned to laugh” yet I’m still to learn that enlightenment.
    Thank you for the help to grasp the above.

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