Monastic Visit

 

Some time ago I visited a monastery high in the mountains far away from society and the rest of the world. The monks there were self-sufficient, growing their own food and praying all the time. The monks had taken a vow of silence.

When I arrived there, unfortunately, a monk was leaving the premises for good. He had been a monk for exactly three years. The Monk Superior explained that monks are not allowed to speak apart from one sentence once a year when they get to meet Monk Superior in private. 

After spending a whole year at the monastery, this particular monk was invited to speak to Monk Superior. He said, "the food here is too salty!"

After spending a second year at the monastery, he told Monk Superior, "the bed is too hard to sleep on!"

On the third year which ended yesterday he told Monk Superior, "my room is too cold!" At which Monk Superior replied, "I think you'd better leave; you've done nothing but complain since you arrived here!"

I was given permission to tour the monastery as long as I did not talk to anyone to preserve their vow of silence.

I went to the carpentry workshop where two monks were working quietly. As I got in, one monk was distracted by my presence and hit the hammer hard on his finger.

He stopped what he was doing and picking up a pencil he wrote "Ouch!" on the wall.

The other monk approached him and wrote underneath, "Did you hurt yourself?"

The first monk wrote under it, "OF COURSE I DID YOU ****"

The second monk wrote, "You don't have to shout! And swear!!! I'll tell Monk Superior on you!"

At this point, another monk came in the workshop. Picking up a pencil, he wrote, "Who's been writing on the wall? I've just painted it yesterday!" 

This monk who came in had a pet parrot on his shoulder. The parrot could not repeat what the monk had just said because he could not hold a pencil with his wings. he could not write either!

The first monk who'd hurt himself wrote, "What's it to do with you? Why don't you just **** off!" And then he pushed the monk who'd just got in, making the parrot fly away silently by flapping its wings ever so lightly so as not to make a noise.

A fight ensued. One monk held the other by the neck like wrestlers do, and before long they were both rolling on the floor cassocks aloft. I noticed that they wore white underpants with red polka dots. It's part of their habit I understand.

They knocked over one table and the various tools and instruments fell to the ground without making a sound. That's because the floor was insulated with thick foam.

At one point they stopped fighting and one of the monks wrote on the wall, "AAAAAAHHHHH! That hurt!"

A fourth monk came in and wrote, "Please stop fighting both of you! Or I will write to Monk Superior on his wall!"

The monk who'd hurt himself stormed out of the workshop slamming the door behind him. The door did not make any sound. I noticed that the edge of the door was padded with heavy cotton material to stop it making a sound when closed.

The remaining monks then left too without saying a word.

At this point Monk Superior entered the workshop and wrote, "Have you been writing on the wall?"

I said, "Of course not!"

I was thrown out of the monastery for speaking and breaking the vow of silence.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO PONDER

Is writing on the wall "talking"? 

If someone writes on a wall, or in a cave, and no one reads it; is it "writing" or just scribbles? 

Is "writing" when the scribbles are understood and interpreted in a language one understands? 

If you write on the wall, and there is someone there to see it, does this break the vow of silence? 

If a parrot repeats what you have written does he break the vow of silence? (Think before you answer this one - can a parrot read?) 

Does sign language break the vow of silence? 

If you had Rice Crispies for breakfast does the "Snap Crackle and Pop" break the vow of silence? 

Was graffiti invented at a silent retreat? 

Have you seen the writing on the wall? 

 

 DID YOU KNOW?

 

IF EACH ONE OF YOU INVITES

JUST ONE PERSON HERE

WE'D HAVE A FEW MORE READERS

TO THIS BLOG.