A Samurai who was renowned for his honor and integrity went to see a Zen monk to get counsel.
The Samurai questioned the monk after he had done praying, “Why do I feel so inferior? – I have repeatedly stood up for the weak and faced death. However, when I saw you meditating, I felt that my life was of no significance at all.”
“Wait. I’ll respond to you once I’ve attended to everyone who has been to visit me today.”
The samurai sat in the temple gardens all day, observing the people coming and going in search of guidance.
He observed how the monk treated them all with the same tolerance and radiant smile.
When it was dark and everyone had left, he said, “Now, can you teach me?”
He was welcomed inside and shown to his room by the master. The atmosphere was incredibly calm as the full moon shined in the sky. “Do you notice how lovely the moon is? The sun will shine once more the following day after traversing the entire firmament.”
“However, sunlight is significantly brighter and can reveal the finer elements of the surroundings, including the trees, mountains, and clouds. Years of contemplation later, I have never heard the moon ask, ‘Why don’t I shine like the sun?’ Is it a result of my inferiority? Of course not,” the samurai replied.
The sun and the moon are separate entities, and each is beautiful in its own way. The two cannot be compared.
We are two distinct individuals who are individually making the world a better place by battling in our own unique ways for what we believe in. Everything else is just an act.
