This was one of the most poignant things I ever read when I read it in 1990 or so. It’s in a Melody Beattie book (I believe it’s Beyond Codependency) and it plays off the post I wrote earlier about learning how to trust another starts with trusting yourself. Right here is everything there is to know.
Once upon a time, a woman moved to a cave in the mountains to study with a guru. She wanted, she said, to learn everything there was to know. The guru supplied her with stacks of books and left her alone so that she could study. Every morning, he asked her the same question; “Have you learned everything there is to know yet?” Each morning her answer was the same; “No,” she said, “I haven’t.” The guru would then strike her over the head with the cane.
This scenario repeated itself for months. One day the guru entered the cave, asked the same questions, heard the same answer and raised his cane to hit her in the same way, but the woman grabbed the cane from the guru, stopping the assault in midair.
Relieved to end the daily batterings, but fearing reprisal, the woman looked up at the guru. To her surprise, the guru smiled.
“Congratulations,” he said, “You have graduated. You now know everything there is to know.”
“How’s that?” the woman asked.
He replied, “You have learned that you will never learn everything there is to know….”
“…..and you have learned how to stop the pain. “
This was one of the most poignant things I ever read when I read it in 1990 or so. It’s in a Melody Beattie book (I believe it’s Beyond Codependency) and it plays off the post I wrote earlier about learning how to trust another starts with trusting yourself. Right here is everything there is to know.
Once upon a time, a woman moved to a cave in the mountains to study with a guru. She wanted, she said, to learn everything there was to know. The guru supplied her with stacks of books and left her alone so that she could study. Every morning, he asked her the same question; “Have you learned everything there is to know yet?” Each morning her answer was the same; “No,” she said, “I haven’t.” The guru would then strike her over the head with the cane.
This scenario repeated itself for months. One day the guru entered the cave, asked the same questions, heard the same answer and raised his cane to hit her in the same way, but the woman grabbed the cane from the guru, stopping the assault in midair.
Relieved to end the daily batterings, but fearing reprisal, the woman looked up at the guru. To her surprise, the guru smiled.
“Congratulations,” he said, “You have graduated. You now know everything there is to know.”
“How’s that?” the woman asked.
He replied, “You have learned that you will never learn everything there is to know….”
“…..and you have learned how to stop the pain. “