ABSTRACT
A Japanese version of a Buddhist tale reiterates the contrast between objective and pragmatic comprehension. In the story, two monks meet a beautiful woman sitting beside a river, afraid to cross. A monk could carry her, but that would break their monastic rules against touching women. Yet not helping would break their vow to aid all suffering beings. The young monk follows the monastic rule and does not carry her across. The older monk picks her up, carries her, puts her down on the other side, and resumes his journey with the younger monk. The latter fumes about the older man’s violation of the rules, and finally blurts out his indignation. The older monk says with surprise, “I put her down by the riverbank and left her there, but you are still carrying her!” Such differences between novice and experienced practitioner are common in professions like medicine and law: novices follow strict rules to avoid transgressions, while experienced professionals risk breaking rules to be true-to the “spirit” of their practice.
