Tears of the Samurai – The Story of Wisdom on Heaven and Hell
A magnificent samurai visits Roshi, the wise man of the village, and asks him,
“Can you tell me something about the nature of heaven and hell?”
Roshi starts speaking, “Why should I talk about such a thing to a fool like you?”
The samurai’s face starts to flush, his hair stands on end.
Roshi continues unabated, “Why would a despicable insect like you want to know about such a thing?”
The infuriated samurai draws his sword and raises it to decapitate Roshi.
Just then, Roshi says, “This is hell.”
Understanding instantly what had happened, the samurai realizes he had created his own hell with hatred and anger.
Tears welling in his eyes, he clasps his hands together and expresses his gratitude to the master.
At that moment, Roshi says, “And this is also heaven.”
Heaven and hell are where you are.
This story, written by Pema Chödönön, describes the internal transformation of a samurai on the path of wisdom. Realizing that he created his own hell with anger and hatred, Samurai learns to get rid of these dark emotions with the teachings of Bilge Roshi. When he gets rid of this hell created, he discovers that he is in real peace and happiness. Emphasizing the power of the inner world of man and the importance of mental transformation, this story can shed light on our own journey of wisdom.
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