Surprise!

[hope rainbow]

I think that monk was single-focused on the task of bringing that cup of tea safely to that table.
It does not mean that he does not get surprised at those jumping next to him, but he left that to be dealt with later, after the task he was focusing on would finish.
The only does he scream: "ooohhh"

It reminds me of the story of Shakyamuni Buddha who had to be single-pointed focus under a bodhi tree, on the verge of enlightenment when Mara sent him the most beautiful women and all sorts of temptations and distractions, he had to be very focused at the aim so as to gain enlightenment.
Now, that level is definitely higher than bringing a cup of tea...

Who would pass the test of the cup of tea here?

[dondrup]

The elder monk has great attainments.  He is totally aware and mindful of the things that have manifested from his mind.  None of these distractions can disturb or shake his awareness.  He realised the illusory nature of things that manifested around him.  When he cried out with shock “Ohhhh!”, perhaps it is a sign that the elder monk had gained another insight and is closer to understanding the ultimate truth - emptiness!  Another possibility is that the elder monk has a premonition of something very bad that will happen to those students who tried to disturb him!

[Positive Change]

The students in a monastery were in total awe of an elder monk, not because he was strict, but because nothing ever seemed to upset or ruffle him. So they found him a bit unearthly and even frightening.

One day they decided to put him to a test. A bunch of them very quietly hid in a dark corner of one of the hallways, and waited for the monk to walk by. Within moments, the old man appeared, carrying a cup of hot tea. Just as he passed by, the students all rushed out at him screaming as loud as they could.

But the monk showed no reaction whatsoever. He peacefully made his way to a small table at the end of the hall, gently placed the cup down, and then, leaning against the wall, cried out with shock, "Ohhhhh!"

LOL... that is a funny story, I imagine this monk very focused and calm and as soon as the tea cup is "safe" he let's go of his concentration and exclaims: "ooohhh".

It is almost like a comedy sketch, with all due respect.

I am certainly not that monk, and I don't know what is to be learned from that story really, but I know this: if I had been that monk, the tea would be all over the floor, the tea cup would be broken, and I would swear and scream at the culprits responsible for the broken cup, for making me loose my patience and get so agitated.

But maybe that is what is to be learned of the story, for this monk did not react in the way most of us would have, and WHY? and HOW?

Yes, why and how?

We may be eloquent in Dharma, we may be monks or involved actively with Dharma, but we would still not pass the "tea cup test".

This story is actually very interesting. Indeed.

[biggyboy]

One day they decided to put him to a test. A bunch of them very quietly hid in a dark corner of one of the hallways, and waited for the monk to walk by. Within moments, the old man appeared, carrying a cup of hot tea. Just as he passed by, the students all rushed out at him screaming as loud as they could.

But the monk showed no reaction whatsoever. He peacefully made his way to a small table at the end of the hall, gently placed the cup down, and then, leaning against the wall, cried out with shock, "Ohhhhh!"

Having read this over and over again, I may deduced it wrongly but have 2 views on this...

1.  The old monk is a highly attained being with full control of his senses, his mind and his emotions.
Probably through years of meditation and ascetic practices he is in harmony with his environment and nothing disturbs him. Because of his attainment he is able to remain calm, composed and collected and has full control over his own actions.  After a little delay he cried out “Ohhhhh” to let the boys know that he is fully aware of what is happening around him and that it did not disturb him.

2.  The old monk is deaf.  However how loud the students shout at him, he did not hear them.  How else can the old monk be ruffled nor be upset?  On the same scenario, when the students rushed out and shouted at him, the students' action did not disturbed him for he would have viewed them as their usual mischief act whenever they bumped into him.  Hence, not being ruffled by the students

When he settled down to drink his tea, he cried out "Ohhhhh" .....this I would say that he could have suddenly remembered something that he has missed out.

These are my thoughts.

[Jessie Fong]

There are so many ways to put forward our views on this story.  And there is no right, no wrong.  However we look at it, it is just our perception of what the storyteller was trying to tell us.

The old monk
- could be highly attained
- be deaf
- could have just remembered something
- was single-focused

These were the varied responses regarding the monk.  Only one story and we have different comments from many people.

[brian]

On the flip side, people who are easily scared or excited shows how strong our ego and self-cherishing mind is. If we are easily scared or excited by the smallest and most trivial matters, that means that we will suffer even more. When we are scared and excited by the most trivial things like a new dress, a compliment, a delicious meal or something as simple as that, it means when we don't have those pleasures or when things goes bad, we will suffer very much. That's how our mind works.

However, instead of working towards eradicating those emotions, we should redirect it towards the Dharma. That is easier method and Dorje Shugden practice is an excellent method to achieve that aim. Most people who start the practice would be praying for simpler things. Dorje Shugden has a way of bringing it to them and somehow infusing Dharma in the way he grants practitioners wishes because he is Manjushri. Another way to redirect the mind to Dharma is to read and listen to a lot of Dharma teachings while making a lot of elaborate offerings to the Buddhas to generate the necessary merit.

Thanks for this sharing Big Uncle, i appreciate these comments of yours. Feeling excited on even the smallest matter is truly an example of an attached mind. One with the attached mind can only suffered even worse because the person will be very happy and very unhappy on even the slightest twist in their life. And the only cure to it is to listen to more Dharma teachings to help one understand the fundamental of life and do not cling onto the suffering which is not good for our daily life at all. One should practice the slightest virtue and learn to be less self cherished as possible.

[Big Uncle]

On the flip side, people who are easily scared or excited shows how strong our ego and self-cherishing mind is. If we are easily scared or excited by the smallest and most trivial matters, that means that we will suffer even more. When we are scared and excited by the most trivial things like a new dress, a compliment, a delicious meal or something as simple as that, it means when we don't have those pleasures or when things goes bad, we will suffer very much. That's how our mind works.

However, instead of working towards eradicating those emotions, we should redirect it towards the Dharma. That is easier method and Dorje Shugden practice is an excellent method to achieve that aim. Most people who start the practice would be praying for simpler things. Dorje Shugden has a way of bringing it to them and somehow infusing Dharma in the way he grants practitioners wishes because he is Manjushri. Another way to redirect the mind to Dharma is to read and listen to a lot of Dharma teachings while making a lot of elaborate offerings to the Buddhas to generate the necessary merit.

Thanks for this sharing Big Uncle, i appreciate these comments of yours. Feeling excited on even the smallest matter is truly an example of an attached mind. One with the attached mind can only suffered even worse because the person will be very happy and very unhappy on even the slightest twist in their life. And the only cure to it is to listen to more Dharma teachings to help one understand the fundamental of life and do not cling onto the suffering which is not good for our daily life at all. One should practice the slightest virtue and learn to be less self cherished as possible.

You are welcome. I thought nobody would appreciate my slight deviation of the topic. I would also like to express what I learnt 2 years ago when I met a Theravaden monk who is a Sinhalese. I was explaining about Tibetan Buddhism to this monk and I was also elaborating about certain points and then I move on to the story of my Lama. He had a placid expression throughout the conversation and I thought he was bored and was uninterested with my explanation and story. However, when I recanted my story to my Lama. He laughed and he said that Theravaden monks by tradition restrict expression of emotions. This was in sharp contrast to Tibetan Lamas who express all emotions but with the motivation to express and benefit others.