Nature's Beauty

A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple. He had been given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs, and trees. Next to the temple there was another, smaller temple where there lived a very old Zen master.

One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took extra care in tending to the garden. He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs, combed the moss, and spent a long time meticulously raking up and carefully arranging all the dry autumn leaves. As he worked, the old master watched him with interest from across the wall that separated the temples.

When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work. "Isn't it beautiful," he called out to the old master. "Yes," replied the old man, "but there is something missing. Help me over this wall and I'll put it right for you."

After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow over and set him down. Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the center of the garden, grabbed it by the trunk, and shook it. Leaves showered down all over the garden. "There," said the old man, "you can put me back now."

(from: http://spiritualinquiry.com)

Keindahan Yang Alami

Seorang pendeta bertugas di kebun di dalam sebuah biara Zen yang terkenal. Dia ditugaskan karena kecintaannya terhadap bunga, tanaman, dan pohon. Di sebelah biara terdapat biara lain yang lebih kecil yang dihuni oleh seorang guru Zen yang sudah amat tua.

Suatu hari, ketika pendeta tersebut sedang menunggu kedatangan tamu khusus, dia menata kebun dengan lebih seksama. Dia menarik tanaman liar, memotong rapi tanaman, membuang lumut, dan menghabiskan banyak waktu menyapu dan merapikan daun-daun kering yang berguguran. Ketika dia bekerja, si guru tua memperhatikannya dengan tertarik di sebelah kuil yang terpisahkan oleh tembok.

Ketika dia selesai bekerja, pendeta itu berdiri sambil mengagumi hasil kerjanya. "Tidakkah ini indah?" dia berkata kepada si guru tua. "Ya" jawab si guru tua, "tapi ada sesuatu yang kurang. Bantu saya untuk menyeberangi tembok ini dan saya akan merapikannya untukmu."

Walaupun agak ragu, pendeta itu menggendong si guru tua dan menurunkannya. Dengan perlahan, si guru tua berjalan menuju pohon yang berada di tengah-tengah taman, lalu memegang batang pohon itu dan menggoyang-goyangkannya. Daun-daun berjatuhan di seluruh kebun. "Nah," kata si guru tua, "kamu boleh mengembalikan saya ke sebelah sekarang."