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There once was a young king who had a very old and wise adviser. The king was very proud of his adviser because of his great guidance in ruling the country. Because the adviser was becoming very old, he decided to retire. He also decided to leave behind his home, his wealth, and everything he owned to become an ascetic (a monk) in the forest. The king was a little upset because his great adviser was leaving, but still he gave the old adviser permission to leave.
The adviser, who is now an ascetic, went to the forest. He did not take anything with him except two sets of clothing. He wore one set of clothing and carried the other set with him.
The young king missed the ascetic, so after many years, he invited the elderly man to visit the palace. The ascetic accepted the invitation and came to visit the palace. The king was so happy to see his old adviser after a long time. The two men had a very nice discussion together in the palace. Then, they decided to go outside to the royal park to talk more. They went to the park, which was a bit far away from the palace.
Suddenly, the young king and the ascetic saw a big fire at the palace. The ascetic said, "King, look at that fire at the palace! Let's go to it!"
"Dear Master, there are people at the palace who will take care of the fire. They will help extinguish it. This is the first time you came to visit me after a long time, and I do not know when I will see you again Master. This is a very important moment for me to spend with you, so let's ignore the fire and continue our discussion," the king replied. However, the ascetic started to run to the palace. "Where are you running?" the young king asked.
"I have only two sets of clothing! I am wearing one, and the other set is in your palace! I need to go and get it! That is why I am running," the ascetic said.
In this story, the very wealthy king with many belongings was not attached to the burning things in the palace. The ascetic, who only had two sets of clothing, was very attached to his clothes. The king did not suffer at all because he did not have any attachments, but the ascetic suffered from being attached to his clothing. This story shows that it does not matter how many belongings you have, you will still suffer from having attachments.
Think about carrying a bowl. It is not heavy, and it is easy to carry for a few minutes. However, after a long time, it will become uncomfortable and feel very heavy. Just like the small bowl, even a small attachment can bring suffering. We can learn from this example by not being attached to our things.
Told by Bhante Metta
Written by: Melanie
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