The River

Two Zen monks, Tanzan and Ekido ,were traveling on pilgrimage, came to a muddy river crossing. There they saw a lovely young woman dressed in her kimono and finery, obviously not knowing how to cross the river without ruining her clothes. Without further ado, Tanzan graciously picked her up, held her close to him, and carried her across the muddy river, placing her onto the dry ground. Then he and Ekido continued on their way. Hours later they found themselves at a lodging temple. And here Ekido could no longer restrain himself and gushed forth his complaints: “Surely, it is against the rules, what you did back there…. Touching a woman is simply not allowed…. How could you have done that? … And to have such close contact with her! … This is a violation of all monastic protocol…” Thus he went on with his verbiage. Tanzan listened patiently to the accusations. Finally, during a pause, he said, “I left the woman a long time ago at the bank, however, you seem to be carrying her still.”

The  story tries to make a point here that the attachments slow the mind, interfering with appropriate responses to the immediate situation.once u decide to do something, do it and move forward..overanalysing over a past act only weighs you down and leads nowhere..

In order to evaluate a situation requiring a decision, the mind must be open to the possibilities. Develop awareness..act and move forward..