Four monks decided to meditate in silence for two weeks. On the first night, the candle went out and the monks broke their silence for different reasons - the first commented on the candle being out, the second asked why they were talking, the third criticized the other two for talking, and the fourth laughed thinking he was the only one who didn't speak. Reflections on the story note that each monk broke silence for a common reason like distraction or ego that hinders meditation progress.

1. Sounds of Silence
Four monks decided to meditate silently without speaking
for two weeks. By nightfall on the first day, the candle
began to flicker and then went out. The first monk said,
"Oh, no! The candle is out." The second monk said, "Aren't
we not suppose to talk?" The third monk said, "Why must
you two break the silence?" The fourth monk laughed and
said, "Ha! I'm the only one who didn't speak."
Reflections From People's Comments
* "Each monk broke the silence for a different
reason, each of which is a common stumbling
block to meditation. The first monk became
distracted by one element of the world (the
candle) and so lost sight of the rest. The second
monk was more worried about rules than the
meditation itself. The third monk let his anger at
the first two rule him. And the final monk was lost
in his ego."
* "It's easy to point our fingers at the 'faults' of
others but oftentimes, before long we make the
very 'mistakes' we are critical of."
* "In the course of our life, mistakes or faults arise
because of a lack of good mindfulness."
* "One needs to be mindful of one's EGO ... 'I'm
better than all others' type of attitude very often
causes problems of relationship with others."
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Reflect
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2. TRANSIENT
A famous spiritual teacher came to the front door of the King's palace.
None of
the guards tried to stop him as he entered and made his way to where
the King
himself was sitting on his throne.
"What do you want?" asked the King, immediately recognizing the
visitor.
"I would like a place to sleep in this inn," replied the teacher.
"But this is not an inn," said the King, "It is my palace."
"May I ask who owned this palace before you?"
"My father. He is dead."
"And who owned it before him?"
"My grandfather. He too is dead."
"And this place where people live for a short time and then move on -
did I hear
you say that it is NOT an inn?"
Points For Reflection
* We are ALL here for just a short time, and then move on.
Reflecting on this, shouldn’t we realize a sense of urgency
to practise Dhamma before it is too late ? Doesn’t it make
sense to develop our virtues and cut our defilements of
greed, hatred and delusion in this very short life of ours ?
* Our true wealth does not lie in our material possessions or
in the people we love or attach to. We live and die and
never really own anything. How many people today think
about this deeply ? Too many people entrench themselves
in their possessions and positions.
* What is our true wealth ? It is our Kamma and the Kamma
potential we store up in this fleeting life that will follow us
from life to life . When we reflect on this , we should waste
no more time to practise Dana, Sila and Bhavana the best
we can .
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