One day, a saffron-clad monk with just a dhoti, a half-sleeved
kurta and a small bowl elliptical in shape walked up to the entrance of a
famous casino in Las Vegas. The guards were stunned to see the half-clad man strange in
their view and stopped him.
Guard: “Swami, you need money to play here. Do you have any
dollars?”
Monk: “How much do I need?”
Guard: “At least one dollar.”
The monk looked around and spotted a dollar bill on the
ground. He picked it up and handed it to the guard. The guard, surprised but
with no reason to stop him now, let him in.
At the counter, a lady told him, “Sir, with this one-dollar
chip, you can only play the slot machines.”
Amidst the plethora of varied machines, the monk calmly
walked to a slot machine, inserted the chip, and pulled the lever.
Jackpot! $100,000!
The crowd erupted. People gathered, clapped, and
congratulated him.
The manager approached and said, “Sir, you’re welcome to
play any game now.”
The monk moved from table to table. His luck soared. By
lunchtime, he had won $20 million. He was the centre of attention—applause and
admiration followed him everywhere.
The manager rushed to the owner in panic. “Sir, we should
shut down. This monk is going to bankrupt us!”
The owner replied with a smile, “I’ve been watching him
since morning. I love how he plays. Even if I lose everything, I want him to
play all day. Invite him to have lunch with me.”
When invited, the monk politely declined the grand lunch.
“Fruits will do,” he said with a gentle smile.
He resumed playing in the afternoon. Slowly, luck turned.
His winnings dropped from $20 million to $18 million… and were dwindling.
People advised him, “Swami, this is enough for three lifetimes. Take it and
leave.”
But the monk just smiled and played on.
By evening, he had lost everything.
People criticised him. The manager approached again. “Swami,
no one has ever won $20 million here. You did. But you also lost it all. And
yet, you’re still smiling. How?”
The monk replied with the same calm smile,
“I didn’t lose $20 million. I only lost a dollar, the one I
found on the ground. Why would I grieve over that?”
With that, he walked away, spinning his bowl in his hand.
The moral:
If we treat life’s ups and downs like a game at a
casino—detached and light-hearted—we can sleep peacefully, no matter what comes
and goes.
Yes. That is why he is a monk. Others aren’t
ReplyDelete😄😄😄
Chitra
Very nice stories. Always waiting for your postings. Thank you. Sir. 🙏🙏
ReplyDeleteNice simple story. But waiting for yours!
ReplyDeleteA good one, to be detached is to realise that neither a situation nor person/ happening is in charge of your happiness or worthiness. The monk was detached which is close to impossible for many of us.
ReplyDeleteNo greed no grief 👌pkr
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing sir. Regards - Mahesh
ReplyDeleteBeautifully conveyed through the story—Sat-Chit-Ananda is our true, ever-blissful nature, while all else is but the fleeting play of Maya.
ReplyDeleteMindset of the Monk is what separates the best from the rest of us.. Story with a lesson to emulate.
ReplyDeleteHere was a story very nicely retold to make us realise that we came empty-handed and would also go empty-handed.
ReplyDeleteHere was a story very nicely retold to make us realise that we came empty-handed and would also go empty-handed.
ReplyDeleteI liked the story.
ReplyDeleteI related it spiritually ... sat chhit anand is the basic existentence and only truth and on that whatever plays out is just a movie its not ours... be blissful always...thats our nature rest of ups and downs are the play of maya
A good one , mama. It is all law of karma.
ReplyDeleteIn Las Vegas casinos, players are offered free alcoholic drinks. Hope our monk accepted a few drinks. Nice story.
ReplyDeleteInteresting... Sandhya
ReplyDeleteRama Sampath Kumar : Having
ReplyDeleteLoved this short story. My take: The monk having attained dispassion ( Vairagyam) , for him a profit or loss makes no difference. Having reached a state of equilibrium -where opposite forces are equal, canceling each other out. The monk, in all probability wished to convey to all in the Casino one should reach a state where sorrow or happiness should not affect the mental peace. And this state where neither sorrow nor happiness significantly impacts one's mental peace is the inner peace or equanimity. This state is characterized by a deep-seated sense of calm and stability, regardless of external circumstances or emotional fluctuations.
The key to his reactions is that he has no needs, as he has his begging bowl. If you are dependent on money, you cannot take that cavalier attitude. The question however arises, as a monk he should be focused on attaining moksha. What was he doing in Las Vegas?
ReplyDeleteArvind Rajan
Very nice. Ramakrishnan.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the point of the story is that moksha is equally attainable in Vegas as in Varanasi! Am I right KP Sir?
ReplyDeleteLovely story, gives food for thought. Anu
Very nice story! The monk’s calm and carefree vibe is so inspiring. Such a great reminder to stay grounded and not let wins or losses shake us.
ReplyDeleteThe central theme of the story viz " contentment " has been brought out nisely
ReplyDeleteThe monk had no business to visit the Casino and spend the whole day playing slotting machine, to while away the precious time instead of meditating for moksha.He acted without an objective or purpose.He should have devloped attachment to detatchment,rather than getting involved in mundane issues.
ReplyDeleteJagadeesan
Interesting!
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