
I was reading the life-story of a Catholic priest. There is an order of Trappist monks. It is perhaps the most difficult order of monks in the world. Once a man enters a Trappist monastery and becomes initiated in its Order, he never goes out again. He goes out only if the abbot throws him out or if he dies. A new monk was initiated into the Trappist Order. The abbot told him, "The outside world is closed to you forever." He was given a cell to stay and taught the rules of the monastery. One of the rules was, that the monk could speak only once in every seven years. After seven years, the monk went to his abbot. He told the abbot, "I have no complaint except that my window-pane is broken. When it rains, the whole cell gets wet. Besides, mosquitoes and insects come through the window? I have not slept even once in peace. As I have to speak only once in seven years, I request you to get the glass fixed." The abbot said, "Alright, it shall be done." The glass was fixed accordingly. After another seven years (that is fourteen years hence) he again stood before the abbot. "Everything is alright. The glass has been replaced but the mat I sleep upon has become hard due to seven years of rain. Kindly have it changed. I haven't slept a wink all these seven years." The abbot said, "Alright, it shall be replaced." After yet another seven years (that is in all twenty one years), the monk came again. "Everything is alright but the men who came to replace the mat, broke the window-pane as they carried the old mat away. I have not slept at all for the last seven years. "Get out of the gate!" the abbot shouted. "In all the twenty-one years you have done nothing but complain. Get out! We do not give initiation to people like you who do nothing else but complain!"
hans-wolfgang - am Samstag, 15. November 2008, 01:04 - Rubrik: Tao