Heaven and Hell

It's a classic story but one I haven't thought of for some time. I just came across it in my browsing today and wanted to share it with you right away:

In the strict class system of ancient Japan, any show of disrespect to a samurai was met, at the minimum, with a scolding, or at the worst, an immediate beheading. This particular samurai had been wandering through the village, growing increasingly irritated as he heard endless glowing acknowledgements of a revered monk named Takuan.

Finally, the jealous samurai shouted, "Where is the monk? We'll see what he has to teach me!" The villagers said that he lived in the forest high on a mountain above the village. The samurai proceeded to climb the mountain. When he reached the top, he searched the forest until he finally came upon a monk who was sitting quietly under a tree.

"So, you're the monk they talk about. Well, monk, tell me the difference between heaven and hell."

The little monk looked up at him and said with a smile, "Get out of here. You disgust me. You're despicable. You have no right to even call yourself a samurai."

Enraged at the monk's evident display of disrespect, the samurai drew his sword and was about to cut the monk's head off when the monk calmly raised his hand and said, "That is hell."

Now at this the samurai dropped his sword. In such awe that this little monk had the courage and the willingness to end his life in order to teach, he dropped to his knees.

As the samurai bowed in gratitude, the monk smiled once more, raised his hand, and said softly, "And that is heaven."

Reprinted from "Journey to Center" by Thomas Crum