Once upon a time, an old Zen master, who lived in a village in the hills, lost all his life’s possessions in a fire. When the villagers came to him to sympathise, the Zen master simply smiled.
A few weeks later his pet dog which was badly injured in the fire died. The villagers again came to him to sympathise and the Zen master again simply smiled.
After a few months, the Zen master was afflicted by a very painful illness which rendered him unable to walk. This time too, the villagers came to him to sympathise. This time too, the Zen master simply smiled.
Irritated by the Zen master’s attitude, one of the villagers asked in anger ‘Why do you smile? We feel pity for you and we come up to you to sympathise, yet you keep smiling! Do you not realise that you’ve lost everything? You have failed and are almost as good as dead!’
The Zen master smiled again and replied ‘I have not failed! In fact I see this as an opportunity to pass a great test.’
‘An opportunity to pass a great test?! What exactly is this a test of?!’ exclaimed the perplexed villagers.
‘Endurance’ replied the smiling Zen master, embracing the adversity that faced him.
- Sir Adam Atriy, Parables of Fate