Zen Story of Kamandal
Story of a zen master who gives a gift of kamandal to his dissatisfied disciple who wants to leave the master to pursue zen on his own.
Like most of the Zen stories, this story too begins with a Zen master and his disciple.
The Zen master, as is the tradition is to go from one village to another and impart his knowledge to the locals and again as in the Zen tradition would collect the food from the locals and that would their meal for that day. Then, they would move on from that village to another and the journey. Thrift journey was covered walking and the sleeping would be one of the temples nearby.
The disciple would take care of his master and followed him wherever he went. The master and disciple followed this routine and tradition for years.
After a few years the disciple was, while relaxing under a banyan tree and was contemplating about his journey for the past years with the master and the disciple seemed unhappy about the fact that, he was not given the wisdom by his master despite his best services and the patience and his dedication. The more he thought about the more frustrated he became.he felt bad that even after years of serving the master, the master had not enlightened him and concluded that it's time for him to move another master which would give him a chance to get enlightened, which is the only purpose of a Zen disciple's life.
The disciple went to the master with hesitation and after sitting in silence for while he broached his subject with the master. He told the master that.his years with the master has come to end and that he decided to move on from to another master. The master listened to,his disciple in silence and after a while smiled at the disciple and nodding his head and gave his consent to the disciple to on with his plan. Then master told the disciple that he was mighty pleased with the dedication and the devotion of his disciple and praised him for his patience in in following him for these past many years. Then master looked around trying to search some thing and was murmuring 'kamandal, (a sacred kettle made of brass, through which water is collected and used in the daily prayers). The disciple knew where exactly the where the kamandal was and fetched the kamandal from the bundle of things they carried and gave it to the master.
The master looked at the disciple with full of love and told him that he would like to give his sacred kamamdal to his disciple as blessings and handed over the kamandal to the disciple and blessed him enlightenment. The disciple accepted the kamandal as blessings and knelt before the master to show al his love and devotion. As the sun had already set, the disciple sought the master's permission to spend the night with his master and he would leave the early morning the next day.
Both the master and the disciple chanted their evening prayers and went to bed.
In the early morning the next day, the disciple looked distraught and red eyed and seemed very uncomfortable. With the Kamal in his hand - his gift- he went to his master and bowed to him. Both the master and the disciple sat in silence and the disciple spoke first. He told,the master that he was obliged being taken as his disciple for the years and told the master that he would like to return the sacred kamandal to his master.
The masters spoke in his loving voice and asked the disciple why he looked so distraught and why was he returning the gift?
The disciple told the master in his hoarse voice that the he wouldnt want the Kamandal, since with the kamandal at his bed side he could not sleep the whole night and it was a strange experience with the kamandal next to him. So he requested the master to relieve him of the kamandal.
The master smiled and after a few seconds of silence looked at the disciple and to him : ' My dear disciple, as part of your duty to the master you have always carried the kamandal and assisted me in performing the prayers and the kamandal has always been with you, including during every night wen we went bed in the past years. Why on earth, the Kamandal being just one night before he left should create such an effect on you... that you have decided not to take it.
The disciple bowed again and told master in his in almost I audible voice that, he was constantly worried about the,kamandal being stolen from him and being a,sacred gift from his master he didn't want to lose it, therefore, he vigil,through put the night and the very thought of someone stealing it from him that night had disturbed him no end.
Then the master laughed and told the disciple that, that simple kamandal had no such magical or other power that disturbed him. He continued to tell the disciple that, the kamandal was was with the disciple for these many years along side his bed and never once he had this strange feeling of someone stealing or the fear of losing it. The master thus explaine dot him that the kamandal was always in his possession and never once it crossed your mind about what happened to,you yesterday night. He smiled and told the disciple that all these years you thought the kamandal was that of the master and you carried everywhere and kept it with you and slept with it next to you... and none of those days you had any such disturbing experience. When I gifted to you, in your mind the kamandal became your property..... So, suddenly a sense of ownership and responsibility to protect it from being stolen arose in you. You see, how the mind plays tricks. Just one night and just one kamandal.... your whole composure, your calmness, your years of prayers were lost. You lost your detachment and suddenly became attached to the kamandal.... You got attached because it mentally belonged to you. Ownership is in the head. So,don't worry you will be alright in a few days and I bless you with success on your new journey.
At this moment, the disciple fell at the feet of the master and cried and the story goes that, the disciple got enlightened in that instant moment and continued with his master.
What I derive from this story is that, attachment comes from the illusion of ownership. We don't own anything. We merely are caretakers of different things, events, and a relationship too. We can be loving, concerned and take care and nurture the things and relationships without owning them. Once the sense of ownership enters the tiny head, then it creates a brings with it a whole lot of confusing emotions and ultimately lead to frustration, anguish, fear of
losing and these emotions will certainly take us away from the path of joy, love and bliss.
So it's a choice - to have a sense of illusory ownership or a sense of being a caretaker to do what is necessary for the nurturing of the things and relationships - that will determine whether we will live in misery or joy!
Note: Thanks for reading this story.
It will immensely help me in improving my writing, if you share your ideas and thoughts and suggestions about the story and my writing. You may also suggest topics for my writing. Please feel free to contact me on my email for all your comments and suggestions:
vdharmraj@ramaavenkatesh.com.
Story of a zen master who gives a gift of kamandal to his dissatisfied disciple who wants to leave the master to pursue zen on his own.
Like most of the Zen stories, this story too begins with a Zen master and his disciple.
The Zen master, as is the tradition is to go from one village to another and impart his knowledge to the locals and again as in the Zen tradition would collect the food from the locals and that would their meal for that day. Then, they would move on from that village to another and the journey. Thrift journey was covered walking and the sleeping would be one of the temples nearby.
The disciple would take care of his master and followed him wherever he went. The master and disciple followed this routine and tradition for years.
After a few years the disciple was, while relaxing under a banyan tree and was contemplating about his journey for the past years with the master and the disciple seemed unhappy about the fact that, he was not given the wisdom by his master despite his best services and the patience and his dedication. The more he thought about the more frustrated he became.he felt bad that even after years of serving the master, the master had not enlightened him and concluded that it's time for him to move another master which would give him a chance to get enlightened, which is the only purpose of a Zen disciple's life.
The disciple went to the master with hesitation and after sitting in silence for while he broached his subject with the master. He told the master that.his years with the master has come to end and that he decided to move on from to another master. The master listened to,his disciple in silence and after a while smiled at the disciple and nodding his head and gave his consent to the disciple to on with his plan. Then master told the disciple that he was mighty pleased with the dedication and the devotion of his disciple and praised him for his patience in in following him for these past many years. Then master looked around trying to search some thing and was murmuring 'kamandal, (a sacred kettle made of brass, through which water is collected and used in the daily prayers). The disciple knew where exactly the where the kamandal was and fetched the kamandal from the bundle of things they carried and gave it to the master.
The master looked at the disciple with full of love and told him that he would like to give his sacred kamamdal to his disciple as blessings and handed over the kamandal to the disciple and blessed him enlightenment. The disciple accepted the kamandal as blessings and knelt before the master to show al his love and devotion. As the sun had already set, the disciple sought the master's permission to spend the night with his master and he would leave the early morning the next day.
Both the master and the disciple chanted their evening prayers and went to bed.
In the early morning the next day, the disciple looked distraught and red eyed and seemed very uncomfortable. With the Kamal in his hand - his gift- he went to his master and bowed to him. Both the master and the disciple sat in silence and the disciple spoke first. He told,the master that he was obliged being taken as his disciple for the years and told the master that he would like to return the sacred kamandal to his master.
The masters spoke in his loving voice and asked the disciple why he looked so distraught and why was he returning the gift?
The disciple told the master in his hoarse voice that the he wouldnt want the Kamandal, since with the kamandal at his bed side he could not sleep the whole night and it was a strange experience with the kamandal next to him. So he requested the master to relieve him of the kamandal.
The master smiled and after a few seconds of silence looked at the disciple and to him : ' My dear disciple, as part of your duty to the master you have always carried the kamandal and assisted me in performing the prayers and the kamandal has always been with you, including during every night wen we went bed in the past years. Why on earth, the Kamandal being just one night before he left should create such an effect on you... that you have decided not to take it.
The disciple bowed again and told master in his in almost I audible voice that, he was constantly worried about the,kamandal being stolen from him and being a,sacred gift from his master he didn't want to lose it, therefore, he vigil,through put the night and the very thought of someone stealing it from him that night had disturbed him no end.
Then the master laughed and told the disciple that, that simple kamandal had no such magical or other power that disturbed him. He continued to tell the disciple that, the kamandal was was with the disciple for these many years along side his bed and never once he had this strange feeling of someone stealing or the fear of losing it. The master thus explaine dot him that the kamandal was always in his possession and never once it crossed your mind about what happened to,you yesterday night. He smiled and told the disciple that all these years you thought the kamandal was that of the master and you carried everywhere and kept it with you and slept with it next to you... and none of those days you had any such disturbing experience. When I gifted to you, in your mind the kamandal became your property..... So, suddenly a sense of ownership and responsibility to protect it from being stolen arose in you. You see, how the mind plays tricks. Just one night and just one kamandal.... your whole composure, your calmness, your years of prayers were lost. You lost your detachment and suddenly became attached to the kamandal.... You got attached because it mentally belonged to you. Ownership is in the head. So,don't worry you will be alright in a few days and I bless you with success on your new journey.
At this moment, the disciple fell at the feet of the master and cried and the story goes that, the disciple got enlightened in that instant moment and continued with his master.
What I derive from this story is that, attachment comes from the illusion of ownership. We don't own anything. We merely are caretakers of different things, events, and a relationship too. We can be loving, concerned and take care and nurture the things and relationships without owning them. Once the sense of ownership enters the tiny head, then it creates a brings with it a whole lot of confusing emotions and ultimately lead to frustration, anguish, fear of
losing and these emotions will certainly take us away from the path of joy, love and bliss.
So it's a choice - to have a sense of illusory ownership or a sense of being a caretaker to do what is necessary for the nurturing of the things and relationships - that will determine whether we will live in misery or joy!
Note: Thanks for reading this story.
It will immensely help me in improving my writing, if you share your ideas and thoughts and suggestions about the story and my writing. You may also suggest topics for my writing. Please feel free to contact me on my email for all your comments and suggestions:
vdharmraj@ramaavenkatesh.com.
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