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Parable of the Day: Two Monks and a Woman



Two monks had to cross a turbulent river. A pretty young woman asked them to help her to cross the river because it was too deep for her. The old monk put her on his shoulders and carried her across the river to the other bank.

The younger monk didn’t say anything to the old monk until they almost returned to the monastery. He asked the old monk near the monastery gate, “Holy Scriptures forbid us monks even to touch women! Not only did you touch her: you even carried her on your shoulders!”

The elder laughed and replied, “I left her at the riverbank but you are still carrying her.”

Translated by The Catalog of Good Deeds

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