Anonymous

A wandering monk came to a village. He was about to settle down under a tree for the night when a villager came running to him and said, “Give me the precious stone.”

“What stone are you talking about?” asked the monk.

“Last night I had a dream that if I went to the outskirts of the village at dusk I would find a monk who would give me a precious stone that would make me rich forever,” the villager explained.

The monk rummaged through his sack, found a stone and took it out. “This is probably the stone you’re talking about,” he said as he handed it to the villager. “I found it in the forest a few days ago. You’re welcome to it.”

The man took the stone and gazed at it in wonder. It was a diamond — the largest one he had ever seen. He took it home with him. But all night he tossed about in his bed, unable to sleep.

Early the next day he went back to the monk and said, “During the night I’ve done a lot of thinking. You can have the diamond back. Instead, give me the kind of wealth that makes it possible for you to give this diamond away so easily.”


Wealth and riches do not always share the same abode or bless the same lives.


The wealthier our inner life, the simpler our outer life becomes ... and the less we want or need.