[MD] the peak

[Louise Pryor]

I like this story A LOT! Thankyou!

I don't often go to church - I have no problem with God, but I have a BIG
problem with religion. I went to church three weeks ago. Although I don't
go, they know me. I went 3 weeks ago and at the end of his sermon the
preacher said, "If you leave the church, you leave God behind!". Now, I had
been huffing and puffing throughout the sermon at the inconsistencies and
self-congratulatory blabber (embarrassing the two teenage daughters who went
with me, who thought that the whole church could hear my very quiet
outbursts). After the service, all the people were "good sermon,
pastor"-ing, as I'm rolling my eyes at my daughters, and the oldest said,
"what would happen if you went up to him and asked if he really means what
he says?", so I did. What I got was the same response the meditator in this
story gave to the traveler.

*heavy sigh*. How come so many people go through their whole lives never
believing (experiencing) what they believe?

Lu

On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 8:33 AM, X Acto <xacto at rocketmail.com> wrote:

> Once there was a traveler
> who wanted most to arrive
> at the goal of the mountain peak
> of understanding.
> the traveler sat at a crossroads of many paths
> that lead to the peak and never moved from
> meditiation.
> One day
> another traveler came to the crossroads
> and saw the one meditating.
> the traveler asked the meditator
> why they sat meditating.
> The meditator responed that they wished to reach the peak
> but none of these paths were the peak.
>
> The traveler chose a path and traveled to the peak
> when the traveler returned the traveler said that the path
> he chose reached the peak and that the path was enjoyable
> the traveler spoke of all his expereinces.
> the meditator said that the path was not the peak and was unimpressed
>
> the traveler chose another path and left the meditator
> to meditating.
>
> when the traveler returned he said to the meditator that
> this path also reaches the peak but the path was most
> difficult but most lovely he recounted his expereinces
> the meditator replied curtly and assuredly that the path was not the peak.
> and dismissed the traveler.
>
> The traveler traveled each path and experienced many wonderful
> things, all went towards the peak, some did not reach the peak
> some did. but all of them afforded many wonderful expereinces and some
> not so wonderful.
> When the traveler returned to the crossroads the meditator was half
> buried under a land slide.
> The traveler tried to free the meditator
> the meditator became very angry, leave me!
> The traveler confused asked the meditator if not his wish
> to reach the peak, the meditator replied the path is NOT
> the peak!
> The traveler laughed, all is the peak! you have allways been at the peak!
> stretch! enjoy yourself! walk with me!
>
> all is NOT the peak!, paths are NOT peaks
> not this path, not that path.
>
> The peak is sacred! no path is the peak!
>
> The traveler asked, then how does one reach the peak?
>
> You try to decieve me!  be gone! the peak is to contemplated
> not to be reached, it is folly to think otherwise.
> the meditator began to chant the ancient monastic chants.
>
> the traveler looked out over the valley and spotted a lake
> with a small village and began to blaze another path from
> the crossroads and did not look back.
>
>
>
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