Useful Stories From My Teachers-101

People who attend Buddhist retreats (averaging a few days per retreat...often in scenic earthy sorta places on the west coast) have this preconception that the Buddhist teachers, counselors and monks who instruct and act as facilitators are for sure going to be these touchy-feely "kid gloves"  kumbaya types....well, and sometimes they are.....but not always.

Which leads me to one of my all-time favorite stories/lessons as told by my teacher, Jack Kornfield.

Seems this middleaged woman came to a retreat having much difficulty recovering from a recent divorce.  Over the course of the retreat, she -seemed- to get a little better.  At this (and most) retreats, after a day of sitting meditations, walking meditations and listening to the dharma...attendees would meet with counselors...often monks or trained counselors.

Long story short...this same woman a year later attended the same retreat.  Upon checking in, she did her initial intake counseling with a monk....same monk she had seen a couple of times in the retreat she attended a year earlier when she -seemingly- was making progress getting over her ex.

She came to the monks office and to his dismay, she once again was in a deep depression and still stuck in darkness over her ex....whereby the monk......

....stood up, approached her.....

 and slapped her in the face yelling, "It's been a year now...get over him"!!!!!!

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So much for kumbaya :)..... 

I need this lesson.  Many moons ago, I didn't handle romantic break-ups well.......

...AT ALL!.....

  Now...I detest physical violence mindya.  But from a monk I figure it comes from an enlightened place....and Kornfield suggests that indeed the woman "let-go" of her ex during that same retreat.

Good for her! 

Nice job Monk-Dude!!!