The Story of a Donkey

A friend shared a story with me, inspiring in different ways.

A washer man had 10 donkeys he used to take to the river with him to haul clothes on. While he was working or sleeping, he would tie them up so they wouldn't stray off. One day when he went to tie them up, he found he only had 9 ropes. He tied 9 donkeys and was holding the 10th by the ear wondering what he should do. A saint was passing by and asked him what he was doing. The washer man explained his dilemma and asked him for advice. The saint told him he only had to pretend he had a rope in his hands and perform the motions of tying the donkey up and that he would stay. So the washer man followed his advice and to his surprise, the donkey stayed all night while the washer man slept. In the morning when he was ready to leave the river, the washer man untied the donkeys and began his journey home. But the one donkey who had not really been tied refused to move.

The washer man was puzzled by this and was tugging on the donkeys ear to move him along. The donkey that had been tied with only an imaginary rope would not move. The saint reappeared again and the washer man sought his advice. The saint asked him if he had untied the donkey and the washer man said no and asked why he would need to since it was just an imaginary rope. The saint replied that donkeys are a lot like people in that they get caught up in an imaginary life and are under the illusion of bondage. So the washer man followed his directions and pretended to untie the donkey. The donkey then moved on along his way to the village with the others.

We create bondages for ourselves with our imagination.
The truth is that we are free. Untie yourself from the rope and free yourself from your mind.