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Three Monks

One day, in the mountain top monastery of Lastop, the head monk called the three oldest monks to his office.

'Today is a great day, my brothers. Today is your last day at this monastery.' The old man smiled broadly.

'What do you mean, father,' the monks cried as one. 'We cannot leave, we have no where to go.'

The head monk quickly raised his hands. 'My brothers, you must not be concerned. This is the culmination of your life's dedication. You have been with us a long time: did you not begin your training in our order with ten years at the mound top monastery of Begini, before being promoted to the foot hill monastery of Goodvue, where you passed fifteen happy fruitful years. And were you not, before your journey here, for twenty years steadfast brethren at the snow covered plateau of Hihere? How can you think such a thing as to believe there is no where for you to go?'

The brothers looked around them in wonder. 'Where, great one?'

'Heaven!' exclaimed the head monk with joy. 'You are ready to go to heaven.'

'Er,' said the first brother, backing away cautiously. 'Don't you have to be dead to do that?'

'Dead. Dead!' the head monk was clearly shocked. 'Brothers! That vicious rumour is only the mutterings of those who would cast doubt upon our way of life. Those who want to pretend we are wasting our time. Don't let their misgivings convince you, my brothers. Heaven is attainable whilst still alive! The secret is in training the mind! And,' he added mysteriously, 'in the crystal.'

The three monks glanced at one another.

'The... crystal?' said the second monk.

'The Amazing Crystals of First Thought,' their leader declared, and with a flourish he produced three sparkling crystals from under his robe. Each one was about the size of a fist, and gave off an identical pink glow. He held them up and smiled. 'Every one of these crystals is imbued with a magical quality in its centre. It is a quality that is impossible for us to create - only the Divine can do it - yet...' The old one was quivering with excitement, '...to have it is the greatest of treasures. For it can bring us anything our mind most desires.'

The three monk brothers, their curiosity overcoming their previous uncertainty, crowded close. 'What's inside them?' asked the first monk asked.

'No one knows,' the head monk told him. 'The ancient scriptures do not reveal it - saying only that looking for the secret of the crystal will render it useless.' The head monk grinned. 'But whatever it is, by concentrating our thoughts through it - through the crystal - they will become powerful enough to take you to your destination. Every monk, upon reaching this moment in his life, in his devotion, is given one - and only one, by the law of heaven.' He handed each one of the brothers a crystal. 'Now go, place the crystal against your forehead as you chant your prayers, meditate on the wonder of heaven, and...' he paused, shaking with emotion, 'you will see it!'

The three monks filed out and quickly returned to their respective cells. There they settled on their meditation mats and, holding the crystal in front of them, began their sitting.

Now the third monk - who had hardly spoken at the meeting - could be described as one of God's simplest. And it did not occur to him that he held in his hand something of great wonder, greater perhaps than the simple flowers he kept in his room. When he came to place the crystal against his forehead his vision of heaven was void of expectations.

Nonetheless, it had barely touched his skin, and he disappeared.

When his eyes had adjusted to the brightness that had replaced the gloom of his cell, he knew he had arrived in heaven. The scenery was impressive, it's true, but it was the feeling of bliss that left without doubts about where he was.

No only that, everyone he knew was there too (though he did not know it at the time, this was because there is no Time in heaven, and so no matter what route is taken, nor how long the journey, everyone arrives together). Glancing to his side, he saw his brother, the second monk, sitting calmly beside him. Only...

'Second brother,' he cried. 'Why are you... changed so?'

For true enough, the man beside him was not as he had been just a few moments before, in the head monk's office - he seemed to have gained a great deal of weight.

The second monk turned to him with a gentle peaceful face, which nonetheless showed the great trials he had been through. Speaking in a quiet voice, he said: 'When I put the crystal to my forehead, all my buried desires rushed up and overtook me. I was soon surrounded by mouthwatering foods and fruits. The crystal worked; I had come to heaven, but I was trapped behind a mountain of food and had to eat my way through it to get in.'

The third monk stared in astonishment. 'That's terrible,' he exclaimed. 'I am so sorry for your trouble.'

But the second monk just smiled. 'Don't be, my brother. I am here, I am happy, and I am... not hungry.'

The third monk nodded. 'I see. Well, I am glad you are here, brother, however you came. But tell me, where is first brother?'

The second monk's smile saddened and he indicated the figure sitting beside him, on his other side. The third monk stretched forward and saw a very very old man, dozing gently. The man's skin was deeply wrinkled and his beard and hair grown long and white - yet, now that he looked close, he could see that, yes, the man was indeed his other brother.

'Good... er heavens. What happened to him?'

'Well, it turned out that he was so curious to know what was inside the crystal, to know how it worked, to understand its mystery, that it was his first and greatest thought. In response, the moment he placed it against his forehead, it split open to reveal its centre. Sadly, however, after that it was broken, useless.'

'Oh dear! How awful.' The third brother said, thinking about the misfortune of breaking such an auspicious gift. He paused tactfully, before asking. 'So, um, what was in it?'

'Nothing! That is to say, it seems the crystals hold a vacuum. First brother said he worked out that complete emptiness amplifies the thoughts which are passed through it. He said he realised this truth just as he heard the pop of the air rushing in. He said it was the most depressing sound he'd ever heard - knowing that he lost the crystal to hear it.'

'Yes, I'm sure,' said the third monk sympathetically. He looked again at his sleeping older brother. 'Um, so how did him come to be so old then?'

'Well,' the second monk answered with a shrug. 'He'd broken the crystal, so after that he had to walk to heaven. Apparently, it's a long way.'

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