Tonight was the third and last meditation class and though our group only met three times, there was a closeness one feels when an intimate shared experience exists in a circle. Our wise teacher, Diana, is one who knows when to talk and when to listen. The listening is important, for the lessons often emerge from the words of classmates. The pearls Diana drops in from time to time, emphasize a particular point relevant to all and her meditation tools are taught in a subtle manner. Tonight she told this story:
An old Grandfather said to his grandson, who came to him with anger at a friend who had done him an injustice…
“Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt great hate for those who have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It’s like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die.”
“I have struggled with these feelings many times. It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way.
But…the other wolf… ah! The littlest thing will send him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all of the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is helpless anger, for his anger will change nothing.”
“Sometimes it is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit.”
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather’s eyes and asked, “Which one wins, Grandfather?”
The Grandfather smiled and quietly said, “The one I feed.”
— — A Native American tale told many times around the Sacred Fire
BetweenTheWords 