A young man said to the abbot from
the monastery:
"I'd actually like to be a
monk, but I haven't learned anything in life. All my father taught me was to
play chess, which does not lead to enlightenment. Apart from that, I learned
that all games are a sin."
"They may be a sin but they
can also be a diversion, and who knows, this monastery needs a little of
both," was the reply.
The abbot asked for a chess board,
sent for a monk and told him to play the young man. But before the game began,
he added:
"Although we need diversion,
we cannot allow everyone to play chess the whole time. So, we only have the
best players here; if our monk loses, he will leave the monastery and his place
will be yours."
The abbot was serious. The young
man knew he was playing for his life, and broke into a cold sweat; the chess
board became the center of the world.
The monk began badly. The young man
attacked, but then saw the saintly look on the monk's face; at that moment, he
began playing badly on purpose. After all, he would rather lose; a monk is far
more useful to the world.
Suddenly, the abbot threw the chess
board to the floor.
"You have learned far more
than was taught you," he said. "You concentrated yourself enough to
win, were capable of fighting for that which you desire. Then, you had
compassion, and were willing to make a sacrifice in the name of a noble cause.
Welcome to the monastery, because
you know how to balance discipline with compassion."
