Articles

Two Monks
Duality/unity

Two wise old monks had been walking for ages along parallel paths surrounding the banks of a lake.  It took exactly one hour to circle the lake.  Their silence was so deep that a blanket had descended over the water smoothing the waves until the surface had become a crystalline mirror reflecting their long shadows.  These would become a thin line un-doubling itself after having crossed the path of light descending from the full moon.

Two of their young disciples yearning for the stillness and the majesty they could feel had impregnated the whole of the nocturnal nature decided to imitate their august masters at a respectable distance.  With gravitas they plunged into the bath of benevolent power that had replaced the path.  But after a while, they could not help but reverting to idle chatting, sharing their plans for a glorious future, one as a great warrior, the other as an enlightened master.

A stirring along the path in front of them turned quickly into a violent storm at the very place where the old monks had been walking a while earlier.  One shape was seen fighting some invisible foes, cutting strands of darkness, parrying, thrusting, defending, attacking, arms and feet flying in all directions, the other stood in total stillness. 

The fear grew as the young monks felt a pull drawing them closer to the elders, as if umbilical cords were linking them to the centre of the chaos.  When they reached the scene, fallen tree trunks barred the path.  The play of shadow on the bark was tracing two faces, one victorious, the other smiling.  Words were etched in the dust: along this path, no camera, no future.  The arch of a bridge could be seen in the distance but the furthest end was hidden by the rising fog. 

Two wise old monks were walking along parallel paths surrounding the banks of a lake…

Gaston Saint-Pierre, April 2006