This is a story about a monk in search of an answer. Not just any answer; the answer.
To EVERYTHING. It begins like many stories: in the middle. It ends... well, I can't just very well spoil everything, can I?
A monk had been in training since the age of five, and now in his young adult life he had come to realize that he learned enough to know that he knew nothing.
The monk loved and respected his great grandmother, who was blind to the sunlight but could see into a man’s heart. He asked her, “Grandma-ma, I am in search of the answer to everything”. She kindly put a gnarled hand on his arm and spoke gently, “boy, you have much to learn, and the journey you will take in search of your answers will provide you with the training to find the wisdom that you seek. However, you may discover that the journey itself may be the answer”. Puzzled at her cryptic answer, the young man was unsatisfied.
The monk knew a wise old man from his training that lived close by that he could consult for advice. He walked to the man’s home and asked him directly, “wise old man, what is the ANSWER?” The elderly man looked upon the young monk with disappointment in his ancient eyes for a moment and closed the door with a slow shake of his head.
Unperturbed, the young monk decided to look elsewhere for the knowledge he sought. He knew whispers of a legendary troll that lived at the peak of Sage Mountain. He bundled some rations of hard bread, cheese, and goat jerky, and started on his way.
Over the next few days he crossed rivers, climbed hills, and weathered storms. He stumbled weakly through a thick forest of brambles that scraped at his arms and cut at his legs. He fought off small critters that sought to steal what was left of his meager rations in the night. He even had to scare off a bear that investigated in curiosity at the stranger in its hunting grounds.
The young monk, battered, bruised, and fatigued, finally came to the base of Sage Mountain. There, he collapsed in exhaustion for a time. By now, he had run out of rations and was surviving on what berries and grubs he could find in the underbrush. He wearily looked up at the seemingly insurmountable task which lay ahead of him. Tired of body and spirit, he nearly gave up at this point. But he could not bear to have travelled this far only to return home without the answers he sought.
He picked himself up and took a heavy first step up the tall mountain. Then he took a second step. A third. Each step was more difficult than the last, but he persevered. At one point, he stumbled and banged his knee on a sharp rock. But he continued on, now leaving a trail of red spots on the earth behind him. He dreamily thought that maybe someone would eventually follow this trail of his blood and find his body somewhere on the side of the mountain weeks later when he didn’t return home. He trudged on in a haze.
He thought he saw an eagle suddenly swoop down and land on a branch nearby and look at him, turning its head this way and that. It seemed to eye him curiously for a moment, and the monk would have sworn that the great bird suddenly spoke aloud. He thought he heard it say, “You are nearly there, strange bird with no wings. You have not far to go for the wisdom you seek”. In his exhaustion, the man passed this off as delusion, but was nonetheless grateful for the encouragement.
Wordless, he continued, now on all fours. His throat was parched, his lips cracked, and his stomach was twisted up in knots. But the man only knew that he must continue, though by now he no longer remembered why. On and on he climbed. Slow and relentless, he was a glacier that inched his way to the top of the mountain.
At long last, after what seemed like weeks, the young monk reached a point when he had no more earth to pull himself up. He had reached the summit. All around him for miles he could see nothing but a landscape made up of beautiful, fluffy clouds. It was a white flowing ocean of grandeur! It was truly a sight to behold, and it caught his breath. For long minutes he laid there, soaking in the magnificent splendor that surrounded him. The silent beauty was deafening! He finally exhaled and was dizzy with the majestic scene before him.
A soft, soothing voice behind him gently broke the silence. It seemed to come from the air just behind him. It simply said, “You are here”. The monk could only nod and stare out at the vastness of the top of the world. The peaceful voice continued, “You seek an answer”. Again, the monk nodded absently. Then, just as the sun dropped below the clouds, giving them hues of deep orange, red, and purple, the voice gave him the ANSWER. "The answer is
Whew! Sorry... I almost spoiled it for you! That was a close one! Good luck on your own mountain!
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