A wise monk, whom I
have known for many years, was hiking with an old friend in an antipodean
wilderness. Late one hot afternoon they arrived at the splendid stretch of
isolated beach. Even though it is against the monks' rules to swim just for
fun, the blue water was inviting and he needed to cool off after the long walk,
so he stripped off and went in.
When he was a young layman, he had been a strong swimmer. But now, as a monk of
long standing, it had been many years since he had last swum. After only a
couple of minutes of splashing in the surf, he was caught in a strong riptide
that began to sweep him out to sea. He was later told that this was a very
dangerous beach because of the fierce currents.
At first, the monk tried to swim against the current. He soon realized, though,
that the force of the current was too strong for him. His training now came to
his aid. He relaxed, let go, and went with the flow.
It was an act of great courage to relax in such a situation, as he saw the
shoreline recede further and further away.
He was many hundreds of meters away from land when the current diminished. Only
then did he starts to swim away from the riptide and back towards shore.
He told me that the swim back to land took every last ounce of his energy
reserves. He reached the beach utterly exhausted. He was certain that had he
tried to fight the current it would have beaten him. He would have been swept
far out to sea just the same, but so depleted in energy that he wouldn't have
made it back. If he hadn't let go and gone with the flow, he was sure he would
have drowned.
Such anecdotes demonstrate that the adage "When there's nothing to do,
then do nothing" Is not fanciful theory. Rather, It can be life saving
wisdom. Whenever the current is stronger than you are, that is the time to go
with the flow. When you are able to be effective, that is the time to put forth
effort.
Ajahn Brahm
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