Tanzan and Ekido were traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.
Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection because the mud was so deep it would ruin her beautiful clothes.
“Come on, girl,” said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud and set her down on the other side.
Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. “We monks don’t go near females,” he told Tanzan, “especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?”
Tanzan looked at him in surprise. “I left the girl there on the muddy road,” he said. “Are you still carrying her?”
The Lesson
This is perhaps one of the most famous Zen stories about holding onto the past. Tanzan did what was necessary in the moment, dropped the matter completely, and moved on. Ekido, however, carried the burden of judgment, anger, and rigid rules in his mind all day.
How often do we carry the weight of a past event—a hurtful comment, a mistake, a frustrating encounter—long after it has ended? True freedom comes from leaving the “girl in the mud” and walking forward with an unburdened mind.
नेपाली अनुवाद
तान्जान र एकिडो हिलो बाटो हुँदै सँगै यात्रा गर्दै थिए। ठूलो पानी परिरहेको थियो।
एउटा घुम्तीमा पुगेपछि, उनीहरूले रेशमको किमोनो र पेटी लगाएकी एउटी सुन्दर केटीलाई देखे, जो बाटो काट्न सकिरहेकी थिइनन् किनभने हिलो यति गहिरो थियो कि त्यसले उनको सुन्दर लुगा बिगार्थ्यो।
“आऊ, नानी,” तान्जानले तुरुन्तै भने। उनलाई आफ्नो काखमा उठाएर, उनले हिलो पार गराइदिए र अर्को तिर राखिदिए।
एकिडो त्यस रात एउटा बास बस्ने मन्दिरमा नपुगुन्जेलसम्म केही बोलेनन्। त्यसपछि उनले आफूलाई रोक्न सकेनन्। “हामी भिक्षुहरू महिलाहरूको नजिक जाँदैनौं,” उनले तान्जानलाई भने, “विशेष गरी जवान र सुन्दर महिलाहरूको। यो खतरनाक छ। तिमीले त्यसो किन गर्यौ?”
तान्जानले उनलाई अचम्म मानेर हेरे। “मैले त्यो केटीलाई त्यही हिलो बाटोमै छोडें,” उनले भने। “के तिमी अझै उनलाई बोकिरहेका छौ?”
शिक्षा
यो सायद विगतलाई पक्रेर बस्ने बारे सबैभन्दा प्रसिद्ध जेन कथाहरू मध्ये एक हो। तान्जानले त्यस क्षणमा जे आवश्यक थियो त्यही गरे, कुरालाई पूर्ण रूपमा छोडिदिए, र अगाडि बढे। तर एकिडोले भने निर्णय, क्रोध र कठोर नियमहरूको बोझ दिनभर आफ्नो दिमागमा बोकिरहे।
हामी विगतको घटना- एउटा चोट पुर्याउने टिप्पणी, एउटा गल्ती, एउटा निराशाजनक भेटघाट- समाप्त भएको लामो समयसम्म कति पटक त्यसको बोझ बोक्छौं? साँचो स्वतन्त्रता “हिलोमा भएकी केटी” लाई त्यहीँ छोडेर बोझमुक्त दिमागका साथ अगाडि बढ्दा प्राप्त हुन्छ।