Everything Will Be Okay: A Parable by Tenpa Yeshe
I hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying some downtime and some peace. I just wanted to come on tonight and share just a little something with you that might just shine some perspective on where you’re at in this moment, or maybe with somebody that could use it. So I’m just going to share this little parable. It’s from a collection called the Zen Monkey and the Lotus Flower by Tenpa Yeshe. And these are just parables, yeah. So I’m just going to share this with you. If you’re somewhere where you can just close your eyes for a moment, go ahead and do that. It’ll just take three or four minutes, and if not, that’s okay too. What I’ve chosen to read is the Sunset and the Twilight In a remote monastery on top of a mountain. To read is the Sunset and the Twilight.
In a remote monastery on top of a mountain lived a young monk named Shen. Shen was an eager student, but he struggled with a problem Every time he made a mistake or failed in his practice. He could not let it go. He dwelled on his disappointment and let it dominate his thoughts and emotions. One day, after a particularly difficult training session, shen was feeling especially down. His master, master Wang, noticed this and led Shen to a cliff overlooking the western sky. They sat together watching the sun slowly set, bathing the sky in colors of red and gold. The sky in colors of red and gold. What do you see? Shen asked Master Wong, I see a sunset. Master Shen replied and how does that make you feel? Continued Master Wong, I feel sadness, master. The day is ending and darkness will come, shen said.
Master Wong nodded and said yes, sunset marks the end of the day and darkness will follow. But what comes after darkness, shen? Shen thought for a moment and then replied Dawn, master. That’s right, shen. Master Wong said with a smile After darkness always comes dawn, the beginning of a new day. That is the natural cycle of the world, and so it is with our mistakes and failures, shen. Master Wong continued when we make a mistake, when we fail, it’s like the sunset. A mistake. When we fail, it’s like the sunset. It’s an ending, yes, but it is also the beginning of something new. With every mistake, with every failure, we have the opportunity to learn and grow. We have the opportunity to make a new beginning. The darkness is only temporary. The dawn will always come.
Shen sat looking at the now starry sky and let his master’s words sink in. He now understood that failures and mistakes were just part of the learning process, part of the natural cycle of life. He could see them as opportunities for improvement and growth rather than end points. So, from that day on, every time Shen made a mistake or failed in his practice, he remembered the sunset and the dawn. He let go of the darkness, joyfully anticipating the new day that would come with the next sunrise.
And so, my friends, I encourage you to take this little lesson and recognize how important it is to remember that there is always dawn after darkness, dawn after darkness, and that, even though it feels sometimes like an ending until it comes, another beginning will not dawn. It’s the cycle of life. Let it go, give these things that you hold so deeply a little less weight and remember the simplicity of the sun rising and the sun setting, and take comfort in the regularity, in the fact that you can count on that, just as you can count on you breathing. I hope this helped you shift. I hope that this helps you recognize everything will be okay. I wish you love, light and all the joy that comes with the dawn. I’m Lisa Hopkins. Thanks so much for listening. Stay safe and healthy everyone and remember to live in the moment.
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