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Recently a friend emailed me this story about the difference
between 'heaven' and 'hell,' that I thought others would enjoy
reading as well:
An old Japanese monk sat by the side of the road. With his
eyes closed, his legs crossed and his hands folded in his
lap, he sat. In deep meditation, he sat.
Suddenly his meditation was interrupted by the harsh and
demanding voice of a samurai warrior. "Old man! Teach
me about heaven and hell!"
At first, as though he had not heard, there was no perceptible
response from the monk. But gradually he began to open his
eyes, the faintest hint of a smile playing around the corners
of his mouth as the samurai stood there, waiting impatiently,
growing more and more agitated with each passing second.
"You wish to know the secrets of heaven and hell?"
replied the monk at last. "You who are so unkempt. You
whose hands and feet are covered with dirt. You whose hair
is uncombed, whose breath is foul, whose sword is all rusty
and neglected. You who are ugly and whose mother dresses you
funny. You would ask me of heaven and hell?"
The samurai uttered a vile curse. He drew his sword and raised
it high above his head. His face turned to crimson and the
veins on his neck stood out in bold relief as he prepared
to sever the monk's head from its shoulders.
"That is hell," said the old monk gently, just
as the sword began its descent. In that fraction of a second,
the samurai was overcome with amazement, awe, compassion and
love for this gentle being who had dared to risk his very
life to give him such a teaching. He stopped his sword in
mid-flight and his eyes filled with grateful tears.
"And that," said the monk, "is heaven."
----
Quote from A Course in Miracles:
The holiest of all the spots on earth is where an ancient
hatred has become a present love.
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