For ten years, a king sat in his chamber to hear petitions and dispense justice. Each day a holy man in the robe of a beggar appeared and without a word, offered him a piece of fruit. Although he always accepted the trifling gift, the king did not give it any thought but merely passed it on to his treasurer, who later tossed it from an upper trellised window into a neglected corner of the treasure house. One day, ten years after the first appearance of the beggar, a tame monkey, which had escaped from the women’s apartments in the inner palace, came bounding into the king’s chamber and jumped on the throne. Because the king had just received the beggar’s fruit, he playfully handed it over to the monkey. When the monkey bit into it, a sparkling jewel dropped out and rolled onto the floor. His eyes growing wide, the king turned to his treasurer and asked what had become of the beggar’s many other gifts of fruit. Excusing himself, the treasurer went to the treasure house and made his way to the area directly under the trellised window, which he had not visited all these years. There, on the floor, lay a mass of fruit in various stages of decomposition and, amidst their remains, a heap of priceless gems.
We should be careful not to disregard the simple and unassuming in life. Often the greatest wisdom comes very simply and quietly. God so often speaks in a small whisper, and what seems foolish is found to be of great worth. Here the jewels are hidden in a piece of common fruit given by a spiritual one who does not appear spiritual at all. And it takes the silly monkey to uncover the truth. Let's try to stay awake so that we might recognize the stranger when she comes with an unassuming gift of everyday experience. And let's try to not take ourselves too seriously so that, like the monkey, we might stumble across the hidden jewel that our king, occupied with so many daily affairs, is unable to perceive.
Blessings,
sam
