“Look at that monkey,” said a hermit to another in that forest. They all are in the forest to meditate. But still they could not make up their minds - their chief did not join them at the forest abode as yet. The chief asked them not to engage in anything till he joins them later. But the hermits hardly paid heed to that. They were doing all sorts of things from making faces to making fun with each other.
While things went on like this for sometime, the hermits noticed a bunch of monkeys roaming in the forest. And there was one particular young monkey who came down and joined them.
This young monkey started imitating the hermits. So it too started making faces and making fun with the hermits. At first the hermits enjoyed the sight, but as days went by the monkey’s behaviour got under their skin. The monkey nevertheless continued to make fun with the hermits.
“We have to get rid of this fellow,” one hermit said.
“Perhaps we can drive him out,” suggested another.
“Anyway we are to blame. We should not have behaved like that in the first place,” another hermit commented.
“Our chief will blast us for sure. Better if we can leave this place soon.”
The hermits agreed with the last suggestion. Even as they were leaving the forest, the monkey continued to behave eccentrically. When the chief finally turned up he realized all his disciples are gone. He slowly sat under a mango tree.
Then he saw the monkey.
The monkey understandably did not know this was the chief hermit. So it made a funny fact at him too. Chief observed the monkey’s behaviour for some time, and eventually realized the creature was up for some mischief.
“Where did you learn these frolics?”
The monkey’s lips and hands moved as if to say something. It was some indirect reference to the hermits, the chief understood.
“Perhaps you must give up that kind of behaviour for your own good,” the chief said. But the monkey didn’t get it. It went on making more and more faces.
“Hey, listen to me,” the chief’s tone was stern, but still maintaining the calmness, “knowing or unknowing you have learnt something. Now you are going to sit like this, right?”
The chief sat cross-legged in the meditative posture – he knew the monkey will imitate him. The monkey was in that posture for a long time. Gradually the beast changed his irritable nature for his own good. As he opened eyes, the chief noticed the change in the monkey.
“Good boy. You are so good, you know that, just as good as a human,” chief commented. Monkey looked at the chief – if it understood the hermit’s words I’m not quite sure. As long as the animal went on imitating the chief, his mind became calm and serene.
Other monkeys noticed this change.
Remember those hermits who left the forest? They came back after some days to check on their chief. They were quite surprised to notice the change in the monkey. “Look, he has changed a lot,” one hermit opined. “Yes he has. For his own good,” the chief said with his gaze cast down – that was a gesture of meditation. His disciples thronged around and sat in silence.
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