Weekend Story-Who Is The Master?

Once upon a time, a Teacher was walking with his students in a bustling marketplace when they stumbled upon a man tugging a cow with a rope. With a twinkle in his eyes, the Teacher stopped the procession, motioned for his disciples to gather around, and asked them, “Who, in this scenario, is truly bound? Is it the man who is bound to the cow, or the cow that is bound to the man?”

Without hesitation, the students responded, “It is the cow that is bound to the man as he holds the rope and asserts his mastery. The cow must obediently follow wherever he goes. The man is the master, and the cow is the servant.”

The Teacher then went to the man and whispered something in his ear. The man let go of the rope, setting the cow free. No longer bound, the cow started moving ahead on its own, and the man followed behind. After a while, the man caught up with the cow and started walking alongside it.

The Teacher declared, “Do you perceive the truth now? As long as the man tried to control the cow, he was enslaved by it. But the moment he let go of the cow, he became liberated and was no longer bound by it. Similarly, we cling onto burdensome thoughts and emotions, believing ourselves to be masters, but in reality, we are enslaved by the thoughts we hoard. The moment we let go of our attachment to our thoughts, like the man, we will experience liberation and tranquility.”