5 / THE BLIND MAN AND THE SAGE /
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One morning a blind man, who lived in a tiny village in the Himalayan foothills, was making his way from his home village to the neighbouring one. He knew his way well, but the previous night it had snowed heavily and the paths were wet and slippery.
Suddenly, the man stumbled against something. Picking it up and feeling it with his fingers, he noticed that it was a nice long stick, perfect to use as a staff. Pleased at his discovery, the man continued on his way, holding out the staff before him to help him along.
Soon he passed a tree under which sat a sage. The sage called out to the blind man in alarm, "Be careful! What you are holding in your hand is a frozen snake!"
The blind man was surprised. "A snake? Oh, no - this is a perfectly good staff I'm holding. It's been of great help to me all this time!"
"No, no, it's a snake! Let go of it, I warn you!", cried the sage, “you cannot see how poisonous it is. Sooner or later it will kill you.”
Now the blind man became suspicious.
“Why are you so concerned about me anyway?”, he asked angrily. “There must be some reason.... Aha, I get it! You want to take this staff away from me, you wicked man! You’d better find yourself another staff, because I’m not going to part with this one.”
“I have no use for your staff, for I have eyes to see”, said the sage wearily. “I’m only trying to help you see that it is a snake you hold.”
But the blind man refused to heed the sage. Leaning on the staff, he went on his way, proud that he hadn’t let the sage make a fool of him.
As it neared noon, the sun grew warmer and the snow began to melt. The staff in the blind man's hand stirred to life. The man was puzzled. Was the sage right? Should he throw the staff away? But still he hesitated. Such a nice staff...!
As he as wondering what to do, the 'staff' uncoiled, sank its fangs into his hand and killed him on the spot.
/ When you approach a master, examine yourself carefully. What is the staff you're carrying? Money? Power? Intelligence? Ideologies? He has no need for any of them. And he will most likely warn you that these are snakes, poisonous snakes. Whether you continue to hold on, to decide to let go, can decide your destiny! /