[Story & Lesson from the American Monks]
Here is a wonderful story about the disciple who went to his guru and asked:
“Guru, I seek enlightenment. How do I get to it?”
The guru explained that enlightenment will come when we desire it, that our reality is created by giving our attention to those things we want the most.
“But I desire it. Why has it not come to me?”
“Because you do not truly desire it” replied the guru.
The wise guru knew that a mere craving or simple want was not enough to turn desires into reality. He knew that he would have to show his disciple the degree of desire necessary to achieve such a manifestation.
To do this, the sage took the young man down to the bank of the Ganges River and had him kneel with his head over the water. Then the guru put his hand on the young man’s neck and pushed his head below the surface.
After a minute and a half, the young disciple was frantic. He pulled and heaved and flailed his arms, but the guru did not let him up. He could not get his head out of the water no matter how hard he tried. After two minutes, just when it seemed as though his lungs would burst, the guru released his grip and the disciple lifted his head, eagerly gulping the air that awaited him.
The guru smiled.
“Tell me,” he said. “What was your greatest desire just now?”
“To breathe,” the young disciple said, exasperated.
“Ah,” said the guru, “when you desire enlightenment to that degree, it shall be yours.”
What degree is your desire?
Do you want it as bad as the young disciple wanted to breathe, or is it simply a passing fancy; a “wouldn’t that be nice” kind of want?
Does your intent fill every inch of your being or does it simply cross your mind now and then?
When we desire something, our level of intent determines how much energy this desire will receive. Many of us desire to be healthier for example, but to what extent? Is that desire so strong that we change the way we eat? Does it cause us to exercise and take vitamins? Or do we continue with our same lifestyle, unwilling to make the changes necessary in order to achieve our results?
When the disciple desired to breathe, that desire went well beyond a novel idea. He strained for it, he struggled for it and he devoted every ounce of his energy to achieve it. On a scale of 1 to 100, his desire ranked right up there at the top.
So, now I pose the question to you: Where do your desires rank? On that same scale of 1 to 100, would your desires rank a 10? A 20? Or like the disciple, do you pour yourself into your intentions and give them the energy they deserve?
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