Put Her Down!

This is another story I first encountered in a collection of Zen teaching stories. It takes place in Japan, many, many years ago.

Two monks are walking down the road of a small village.

The road is unpaved, and muddy. They pass a courtesan standing on the side of the street, dressed in a fine silk kimono. She is looking for a way to cross the road without getting muddy. She seems very distressed, as there is no way to cross the road without going through the mud.

The elder of the two monks, seeing her distress, picks her up and carries her across the road, and sets her down on the opposite side.

The monks continue walking through the village and beyond.

Eventually, the younger of the two monks, turns to the other monk and says, "How could you do that? We are monks, we are supposed to keep ourselves pure. We should not even associate with women like that. But you picked her up and carried her."

The older monk looks at the younger monk, and says, "I put her down back at the corner. You are still carrying her."