One king, growing old, said to his only son, who was to inherit his throne:
“Before I die, you must learn the art of morality, because the king should be a model for the rest of the kingdom, and there should be nothing immoral in your actions. Therefore, today I am sending you to my old teacher. I'm old, and he's even older than me, so don't waste your time. Study everything thoroughly, without missing anything, without wasting a single moment.
The prince went to the teacher and was surprised - surprised that the teacher turned out to be a master in the use of the sword: “How is the possession of the sword connected with morality? Or is my father out of his mind? " But since he had to walk through the mountains, he thought, "Better to see the old man at least once."
He entered the room. The old man was very handsome and slender, surrounded by an aura of silence and tranquility. The prince thought he was going to meet a warrior wielding a sword, but he found a sage. He was getting more and more lost in conjectures. He asked the old man:
- Are you a master of swordsmanship?
“You're right,” he replied.
The prince said:
“My father, the king, who was your student, sent me to learn from you the art of morality. But I don't see any connection at all between morality and swordsmanship.
Promotional video:
The old man laughed:
- You'll see soon.
“I'm in a hurry,” said the prince. “My father is old, and before he dies, I want to fulfill his wish.
“Then nothing will come of it,” the master replied, “because these things cannot be studied in a hurry. Patience, infinite patience, is the basis for the study of any art, be it fencing or morality.
Looking the old man in the eye, the prince decided to stay.
- When do we start classes? - he asked.
“They just started,” the old man replied. - Patience is your first lesson. And I must inform you of the second lesson, which will be that you will have to mop the floors, tidy up the garden, collect the dry leaves and take them away. Be very careful, because at any moment I can hit you with a wooden sword. Although it is made of wood, it stinks very hard. Many people were wounded by him.
“But I came here to learn morality,” said the prince, “and not to get hurt!
“Everything has its time, this is just the beginning,” the old man replied.
The prince was puzzled, confused … but he knew his father - if he returned with nothing, the old man would be really furious. He must be trained. On both sides there are two crazy old men … “And this man is going to teach me morality through beatings! Well, okay, let's see what happens."
And the master began to beat him! He washes the floor, and suddenly - a blow. He sweeps the path in the garden, and suddenly - a blow. But after a week, he was surprised to notice that he had some kind of intuition. Even before the old man appeared in front of him, he bounced out of his way. Whatever he did, some part of his mind was constantly warning where the old man was. The old man walked so quietly that it was almost impossible to hear his steps, but the prince began to distinguish them, because he received so many blows that his whole body ached!
This went on for one month. But after a month, the prince became so skillful that the old man was no longer able to impress him. The old man said:
- You are your father's real son. He was just as collected and persistent and devoted himself entirely to his studies - it will not take much of your time. Today your first lesson is over, because for twenty-four hours I tried to hit you, but you were always on the alert and protected. From tomorrow morning, you must be more vigilant, because the wooden sword will be replaced with a real one. A wooden sword, in the worst case, could hurt you, but a real sword can even cut off your head. So you need more concentration.
But this month, the prince has learned a lot … he did not even suspect in himself such an ability to intuitive awareness. He was educated, well educated intellectually, but had no idea of any intuition. And now he was not even afraid of a real sword, so he said:
- It is the same. If you cannot hit me with a wooden sword, you cannot hit me with a real sword. For me, there is no difference here.
For a whole month, the old man tried in every possible way to strike him with a real sword, and, naturally, the prince became more and more vigilant - he had to become, there was no choice. And so a whole month passed, and the old man could not even touch him. He was very happy.
“I am extremely pleased,” he said. - Now the third lesson. Until now, I beat you only while you were awake. But from this evening on, remember that when you fall asleep, I can hit you at any moment. Everything will start again with a wooden sword.
The prince got a little worried: being awake is one thing, but when do you sleep? However, during these two months he was imbued with deep respect, confidence in the old man and his art, and also gained confidence in his own intuition. He thought, "If he says that, then probably intuition never sleeps."
And it turned out to be true. The body is asleep, the mind is asleep, but the intuition is always awake. Its true nature is awareness, but we never pay attention to it. He had to pay attention to this - he had to stay alert even in his sleep.
The old man began to beat him, and several times the prince received really painful blows. But he was grateful, not angry, because after each blow he became more and more alert, even in a dream - as if something, like a small flame, continued to burn in him, making him alert and attentive. And just a month later, he was again able to defend himself even in his sleep. Now, when the old man approached him, very quietly, without making a sound, stepping completely noiselessly, the young man immediately jumped out of bed. He could sleep soundly, but something about him was still awake.
The next morning the old man said:
- Now the last lesson: I will beat you with a real sword. And you know my sword: one blow and you're done. You have to collect all your consciousness together.
The young man was a little worried, a little scared, because the game was becoming more and more dangerous.
On an early sunny morning, the old man was reading a book, sitting under a tree in the rays of the rising sun, and the young man was picking dry leaves in the garden. Suddenly the thought occurred to him: "This old man has been attacking me for several months, and this is a great idea … should I try to hit him and see if he is alert or not?"
He was twenty or twenty-five feet away when he just thought about it - he didn't even do anything - and the old man says to him:
- Young man, I am very old, and your studies are not over yet. Give up such thoughts.
The prince couldn't believe it. He came up, fell at his feet and said:
“Forgive me, but I didn't do anything, it was just a thought … just an idea.
“When you are fully focused,” the old man said, “even the sound of thoughts is heard. It is a matter of awareness. You don't need to do anything, just think and I will know. Soon you will have the same ability, just be patient.
Soon the day came when he suddenly realized that the old man intended to hit him … for no reason. The old man was sitting reading the book, but the intention was so palpable that he approached the master and said:
“So, are you going to hit me again? I caught your thought in a few more seconds.
“You're right,” the master replied, “I thought I would finish reading the page and do it. Now you no longer need to be here. I know that your father is old and waiting for you.
But the young man said:
- But what about the lessons of morality?
“Forget them,” said the old man. - A person who is so aware can only be moral. He cannot harm anyone, he cannot steal, he cannot be unkind, cruel, he will naturally be loving and compassionate. Forget about morality!
This awareness is what I call religiosity.
The prince returned home. Father was waiting for him all the time, and he asked:
- Have you fully mastered the art of using cold weapons?
“You sent me to study the art of morality,” said the young man. - How did you decide that we are talking about the possession of a sword?
- Yes, I sent you to learn morality, the art of wielding a sword was only a means.