Eagerly, the
scholars awaited
The young priest's
Dharma talk--
A day long
anticipated.
The nervous priest
stood before
The sangha as varied
as the songs of the birds--
From simple folk to
top-notch scholars,
There to scrutinize
all of his words.
With a quivering
voice, he started out.
After he felt more
self-confidence,
He spoke as one who
demonstrated
Compassion,
knowledge, and commonsense.
After the service, a
group of scholars
Stood in a cluster
off to the side
And criticized the
young priest's talk
With words arrogant
and snide.
"So typical of
a novice," they said.
"Shallow
ideas." "Trivial thoughts."
"I didn't find
it moving at all."
"Choppy and
uneven in spots."
An elderly man heard
their complaints
And asked,
"What was so unclear?
The young priest
said the Buddha's name.
That was all I
needed to hear."
With that, he
silently walked away,
Leaving them with a
message so brief.
Speechless,
they stared at the wise myokonin**
With a mixture of
awe and disbelief.
-by Bob B (9-9-18)
*Based on an old Buddhist anecdote
**In the Shin Buddhist tradition, pious followers
whose simple words represent the depth of their faith
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