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The CenterTao Lounge: The fugitive and the holy man

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    • CommentAuthorduirtree
    • CommentTimeApr 8th 2005 edited
     # 1

    the saint
    a man is accused of theft, and has to flee the town with an angry mob on his heels, determined to put him to death. as the man is running, he sees a holy man meditating under a tree. he stops and asks the holy man
    'please, can i hide in your tree? there are people who want to kill me, but i am innocent!'
    the holy man thinks for a moment, and says 'of course, my son.'
    so the man climbs up into the tree, where he is well hidden amongst the leaves. the holy man smiles to himself, and thinks about the good deed he has just done. 'i have followed the scriptures well' he thinks to himself.
    soon enough, the angry mob come charging down the road, and see the holy man sitting under his tree. one of the men comes forward and asks the holy man, has he seen anyone running down this road?
    now the holy man faces a dillemma! he doesnt want to reveal the man hiding in the tree, but his scriptures forbid him to lie- for any reason.
    eventually he admits that the man is hiding in the tree, and the mob take him down and kill him.

    did the holy man do the right thing?
    what do you think the right course of action was?

    • CommentAuthorLuke Abbott
    • CommentTimeApr 8th 2005 edited
     # 2

    There is no 'right' course of action. "Right" and "wrong" are artificial human constructs, and therefore are in the eye of the beholder. Is that dodging the question? :wink:

    • CommentAuthorduirtree
    • CommentTimeApr 8th 2005 edited
     # 3

    yep :)
    but you are 'right', the question is designed to make the reader question those artificial constructs!
    one should always follow natural goodness, the 'te' or virtue of tao.

    • CommentAuthorBuddy1
    • CommentTimeApr 9th 2005 edited
     # 4

    What kind of tree was it?

    • CommentAuthorduirtree
    • CommentTimeApr 9th 2005 edited
     # 5

    im going to say it was a Quercus robur :wink:

    • CommentAuthorBuddy1
    • CommentTimeApr 10th 2005 edited
     # 6

    Oh, well then, that explains everything...

    • CommentAuthorduirtree
    • CommentTimeApr 10th 2005 edited
     # 7

    good! but, why did you want to know what type of tree it was?

    • CommentAuthorBuddy1
    • CommentTimeApr 11th 2005 edited
     # 8

    I thought perhaps it was a bansai tree...

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