One Sentence Lesson for Muddy Road
Harboring negative thoughts are more dangerous than positive actions, regardless of whether the action rendered supposedly counter an explicitly defined rule.
Although it was a rule for monks not to go near females, it was evident that the act of carrying the girl was noble and without any malice. He could have done the same thing whether the girl was lovely or not.
Reflections about Parables
Parables are learned to be short and simple stories which provide readers with a lesson or moral. From the parable of the muddy road, it could be deduced that the lesson is about harboring negative thoughts which is more dangerous or precarious that the actual act given by Ekido to the female. If it were not specifically and explicitly stated in the regulations of the monks, the natural code of conduct for any gentleman facing the situation is to provide assistance for the female to cross the muddy road. However, upon closer reflection, it could be construed that the only reason why that specific rule was created was to prevent monks from being distracted from their advocacy to live a spiritual life in the company of other monks. As such, it would be more unbecoming for them, as monks, to be indifferent to the needs of the female (or of anyone needing help). Therefore, since the other monk, Tanzan, failed to appreciate the good action of Ekido for providing much needed assistance, he was the one harboring grievous thoughts.
In sum, parables are simple stories, yet provide lessons that need to be more closely analyzed. As seen from the parable of the muddy road, the lesson required a more in-depth understanding of the actions of the characters, vis-à-vis the outcome of the action and the apparent rule that was allegedly violated. A weighing of the results and the actions should be evaluated to realize whether the action was indeed justified.
