The Tenth Man

THE ‘TENTH MAN’ STORY

Once there were ten monks traveling together from one Master to another, in search of the enlightenment they had failed to obtain. Crossing a river in flood, they were separated by the swift current and when they reached the far shore they reassembled while one counted the others to make sure that all were safely across… alas, he was only able to count nine brothers.

Each in turn counted the others, and each could count only nine. As they were weeping and bewailing their drowned brother, a passing traveler on his way to the nearest town asked what the trouble was and, having counted them, assured them that all ten were present. But each counted again, and the traveler, unable to persuade them, left them and went on his way…

Then one monk went to the riverside in order to rinse his tear-stained face. As he leant over a rock above a clear pool he gave out a cry and, rushing to his nine fellow-monks, he announced that he had found their poor drowned brother at the bottom of a pool. So each in turn went over to the rock in question and, leaning over, looked into the depths of the pool.

When all had seen their poor drowned brother, whom, owing to the depth of the pool they could not reach, they celebrated a funeral service in his memory.

The passing traveler, returning from the town, asked them what they were doing and, when he was told, pointed out to them and assured them, that since each had celebrated his own decease, and since all had celebrated the decease of each, one and all they were well and truly dead!

Hearing this, each monk was instantly awakened, and ten fully enlightened monks returned to their monastery to the intense delight of their grandmotherly old Master.

Note:

Each monk had found the answer to the OPEN SECRET, which the traveler had missed because he didn’t know it was a secret: THE TENTH MAN IS THE ONLY MAN. THERE IS NO OTHER…