In mountains of Himalayas
Younger Lama asked Elder Lama,
"Please tell me about Collegium System which existed in a 1000 year old monastery and please tell me how this monastery came to be destroyed"
"Please tell me about Collegium System which existed in a 1000 year old monastery and please tell me how this monastery came to be destroyed"
Elder Lama replied thus.
"1000 years ago in those remote mountains, there used to be a monastery where 30 monks used to live.
The monastery attained fame because of its two famous rules.
As per first rule, every Monk had to leave this Monastery on attaining certain age. No monk was allowed to live in Monastery after he attained certain fixed age.
Another famous rule was about entry of new Monks in the Monastery.
Whenever a vacancy arose, the senior most monks used to decide which new monk should be admitted in Monastery."
Younger Lama asked further,
"Tell me about the points on which these 30 monks always agreed and tell me about points on which they always disagreed".
Elder Lama replied,
"All the 30 monks always agreed on two points.
Rule One, all of them agreed that in Monastery, they will discuss only three topics, namely, Law, Justice and welfare of humanity.
They strictly restricted their meditations around these three points.
And they used to write verses only around these three topics.
Rule Two. They always agreed with an ancient law which said "As is below, so is above. As is above, so is below...
They believed that if higher level people are corrupt, lower level people are corrupt. If lower level people are corrupt, the higher level people are corrupt....
Higher level people and lower level people are of same quality. You cannot say that Higher are better than lower and you cannot say that lower are better than higher."
Younger Lama asked for more information.
"Please also tell me about points on which these 30 monks always disagreed", asked Younger Lama
Elder Lama replied,
"Outside monastery, there used to be long queues of monks who wanted to enter in this monastery as soon as any vacancy arose.
"Outside monastery, there used to be long queues of monks who wanted to enter in this monastery as soon as any vacancy arose.
The collegium of Senior Monks used to decide who should be admitted.
And this was always hotly contested issue among 30 monks.
They always used to have different views on suitability of a new monk."
"And how this monastery was destroyed 1000 years ago?" asked Younger Lama
"The disputes over entry of new Monks reached to the King. Some one whispered in his ears that all the inner walls of monastery are made of Gold and he was told that bribes and favours are exchanged whenever a new monk is admitted into the monastery.
The King invaded the monastery but could not find any walls made of Gold as he was told.
He became a very very angry and he killed all the 30 monks and burnt up their verses about law, justice and welfare of humanity. He destroyed the monastery forever."
Elder Lama thus described the tragic end of this 1000 years old monastery.
Haresh Raichura
3/7/2015
3/7/2015
Copyright : Haresh Raichura 2015. All Rights reserved.
