In life, everyone faces moments when everything goes dark before their eyes.
To us who cannot take a step due to anxiety such as "Can I do this well?" or "What if I get lost?", the story of a blind monk from long ago offers a very special answer.
Once upon a time, under the tutelage of a wise old monk, there was a bright but blind young monk.
The disciple possessed outstanding wit and wisdom, but always lacked confidence due to his fear of the unseen world.
One day, the old monk entrusted the disciple with a weighty mission.
"Go and deliver these precious scriptures to a great temple in a distant eastern country."
The young monk felt his vision go blurry. "Master, how can I, who cannot see, traverse that treacherous path?" The old monk smiled gently and handed him a silk scroll. "This is the most accurate map in the world.
Only unfold it and ask people for help when you are completely lost and have no other way. But bear this in mind.Never open it in advance unless it is absolutely necessary."
The disciple took his master's instructions to heart.
He set out on his journey, crossing countless mountains and rivers. Sometimes he went hungry, and sometimes he took the wrong path, but he did not give up.
With the sole belief that 'I have a mysterious map given by my master in my bosom,' he moved forward step by step, asking people he met for directions and using his wit.
Finally, at the most treacherous pass with his destination right in front of him, he took out the map he had cherished so much for one last check.
And he asked a passerby.
"Look, can you tell me the next path written on this map?"
But the answer that came back was shocking.
"Monk, this is not a map. It is just a piece of white silk with nothing written on it."
The young monk froze. 'Nothing?' "Did my master trick me?" However, after standing there blankly for a while, he soon slapped his knee.
And he began to laugh while shedding tears.
He realized that what his master had given him was not a 'topographical map,' but 'confidence.'
If he had known from the beginning that it was a blank slate, he would not have been able to even step outside the temple gates.
The belief that there was a 'map' moved him,
the courage to ask for directions made him grow,
and in the end, what reached the destination was not the writing on the paper, but his footsteps.
Are you perhaps hesitating because you lack a "certain guarantee" or a "perfect plan (map)"?
Like the young monk's piece of silk, perhaps the 'answer' we so desperately desire is originally empty It might be a situation.
Because what fills that empty space is not the teachings of others, but the 'experience' you create by facing challenges yourself.
It is okay if you cannot see what is ahead right now.
Trust your wit and courage, and just take a step forward. The path you walk will become your map.
