The Lesson on Silence
No one is going to force you to follow your destiny except yourself. What is written is written. Your actions are your own path, which changes with each line of the tapestry of life that you weave. Walk straight. Do not embarrass your family with selfish and dishonorable actions. There is always a new route for those who know their true destination.
Grateful, Niten Shuntoku said goodbye to the forest and honored the silence, that ancient and magical wisdom, with a long meditation. Then he went back to the Hayashi clan's school. Once there, he asked to speak to Hayashi Sensei and was answered.
- Teacher Hayashi Sensei! I ask forgiveness for my lies and deceit. The letter I gave you doesn't even have a real line," he said, his head resting on the floor.
Silence as a Teacher
- Get up, Niten Shuntoku - said the Sensei - Just an hour ago, you left the walls of our school. I knew the truth as soon as I touched the paper. If you are sorry with all your heart, I will take you back, and I will not communicate anything to your father.
- Sensei, how could it have been just an hour? The day is almost here!
- Look out the window - replied Sensei Hayashi.
Niten Shuntoku looked. Everything was dark and silent as it was when he left school and walked through the forest. Perplexed, the student meditated. And he understood. Grateful to the master and the silence of the forest, Niten Shuntoku returned to his quarters.
Twenty years later, Niten Shuntoku left the traditional Hayashi clan school as one of the most beloved and wise teachers. He finally took his father's place as a samurai of the Niten clan, a position he honored until the day of his death.
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