An old man had a beautiful horse that was greatly admired. He received many offers to buy the horse, but the old man refused to sell it, saying that the horse was like a friend to him. One day, the horse escaped.
The old man's neighbors believe that the disappearance was a sure sign of misfortune for him. The old man responded, "Don't go too far.
Simply say that the horse is not in the stable. This is the fact.
Everything else is a judgment. Whether it is a misfortune or not, how do you know?" A few months later the horse returned, accompanied by several other beautiful, wild horses. The old man's neighbors congratulated him on his good fortune. However, the old man simply stayed with the fact: His horse had come back, bringing other horses with it.
The old man had a son, who began working with the horses to train them.
One day, the boy fell from a horse and broke his leg. The villagers expressed sadness about this misfortune, but the old man once more remained with the facts and did not interpret the event as good or bad.
A short while later the country was invaded, and all the young men of the village had to go and fight in the war. However, the old man's son was spared military service because of the injuries to his leg.
This parable speaks to me because I am aware of my own tendency to judge. Through the reactions of the villagers, this story is a fresh reminder to me that the very same event can be seen in both positive and negative terms, depending upon my frame of reference and my own state of mind. For me, then, the story is a lesson in not being too quick to decide once and for all about people and situations. Instead, maybe there is some wisdom in simply being open to seeing how the events of life will unfold further. Who knows?
Maybe it is not a disaster that my wife left, nor is it necessarily a blessing that I keep my present job.
The fact is, I don't have all of the answers, and I don't know what's coming next. In the same discourse, Osho says about judgment, [It] will close you. It will be a deadness within. Your sensitivity will be lost, and with it your possibility for growth. The moment you judge, you shrink; the moment you judge, you stop; the moment you judge, you are no longer flowering.
by Swami Dhyan Moulik
