The Monk, The Disciple and The Scorpion

“Be who you were born to be”

There once was an old wise monk who was walking with his disciple. The monk decided to stop for a drink of water at a small stream that was passing under an old bridge. As he knelt by the stream and was quenching his thirst a small scorpion appeared from underneath a rock and stung the monk on his foot. The monk calmly reached down and grabbed the scorpion by its tail, smiled and placed him back on the ground near his small rock. The disciple looked surprisingly at the monk but knowing his place he remained silent.

The next day during another walk, the monk again stopped by the stream and bent down to take a drink, when the scorpion again emerged from under his rock and again stung the monk on the foot. For a second time the monk gently picked up the scorpion and placed him back under his rock. The disciple was again amazed and started to say something but the monk had by this time turned away and continued walking.

On the third consecutive day, they were again out walking and the monk stopped for another drink and again the scorpion stung him on his foot. The monk lovingly smiled at the scorpion and placed him back under his rock. The disciple could not contain himself any longer and said to his master: Master I have been walking with you for three consecutive days and in those three days we have stopped at the same stream where you drank and three times this scorpion has come and stung you! Why do you keep placing him back under his rock so that he can continue to sting you? The master replied, “Disciple this is the only stream for miles and I am old an can not physically manage to walk further away from the road in order to drink. The scorpion’s nature is to sting, is it not? The disciple replied, “Yes master.” Well it is my nature to forgive. If I were to kill this scorpion then his nature of stinging would have caused me to lose my nature to love and forgive. Should I have given up my nature in order to change the scorpion’s nature or continue to keep being true to my nature of loving and forgiving?

While it was the scorpion's nature to sting, the monk was able to recognize that he did not have to be like the scorpion; rather, the monk chose (ACTIVELY) to continue to love and forgive the scorpion as that was the nature the monk chose (ACTIVELY) for himself.

The author that shared this story refers to this as self-empowerment.

Recognize your nature and choose to be that despite all the forces around you that may ask you to be different.