Teachings of a Fake Monk

Once, there existed a young couple who met, fell in love and set up housekeeping together in an apartment. Like so many of their generation, neatness, tidiness and order were paramount considerations in their lives. They worked very hard to make their place spotless, sanitized even, day after day.

After a few years they saved enough money to buy a house. This was an initially exciting event but soon they came to realize that they were unable to keep the house as clean as they would like, and nowhere near as clean as they had previously kept their apartment.

So, they began to work at it harder and harder, scrubbing floors daily, cleaning furniture, to the point of exhaustion in order to maintain their ideal sanitized environment, but, alas, it was no use. Their house just never seemed to be as clean as they wanted.

One day a friend visited.

-- You must really enjoy owning your own home! What a great feeling it is to have your own space and privacy. I love my house. It grounds me in a way that renting never could and provides a tremendous amount of satisfaction.

The couple glanced furtively at each other before the wife replied for both of them.

-- Well, to be honest, we think we made a mistake buying this place. We have never seen a building that created so much dirt before! We clean and clean and clean the house every day and nothing works. it gets dirty too fast. In fact, to tell you the truth, we are planning to sell this dump and move back into an apartment as soon as possible.

The friend listened knowingly and nodded, for he had already been through what the couple were experiencing. He felt empathy for their plight and began to speak slowly, carefully, so as not to offend them.

-- I understand how it is when all of your efforts, all of your hard work, seem to go unrewarded. Maybe its that your efforts, while well-intentioned, are not quite right, in this instance. Maybe you are focusing your house cleaning efforts in the wrong way.

The couple looked confused.

-- Your circumstances have changed, and you must become aware of the difference between keeping a house and an apartment. The reality is that you now possess the outdoors as well as the indoors. Have you changed your efforts to match? One thing I learned from owning a house, it only will remain as clean inside as you maintain the cleanliness outside.

The couple looked at each other. Of course! They thanked their friend profusely, subsequently took his advice and refocused their efforts to reflect their changed circumstances. This was difficult at first, as old habits are resistant to change for all people. But they persevered, never doubting the wisdom of their friend. Soon they began to see and feel the progress, which only made them more eager to press forward and eventually they were able to create and maintain the home to their standards of cleanliness.

The couple stayed on in that house for the rest of their natural lives, never forgetting the lesson they had learned from their friend, applying it over and over again, whenever and wherever warranted by the ever changing circumstances of their lives.