There lives a poor man near the forest. He use to collect woods from the forest and took those to the far away market. The man had a donkey which was much assistance for him to carry the wood from forest to the market.
One day he went deep inside the forest and collected more wood. But while returning he got lost his way as the dawn came. He found a Saint's small hut in that forest. He decided to stay that night there. The Saint gave him permission to stay there. But he had another problem to solve. His donkey had to be roped. But there was no rope for that purpose. The man again approached the saint asking for rope. Saint said-"Why should I keep rope. There is no rope with me."
The saint continued-"Do you rope the donkey everyday?"
The man replied affirmatively.
The Saint-"Then I find no problem. You take your donkey near that big tree and just act as if you are roping it to that tree."
The man thought the saint may have some divine power with that his donkey will be protected and stay safe there. So he did accordingly.
The next morning the man wanted to leave after giving thanks to the saint he went to his donkey and started pulling. But to his astonishment the donkey didn't move. The man again returned to the saint and said-"what happen to my donkey? It's not moving."
The saint understands all and with a smile answered-"Haven't you freed your donkey from the tree? How will it go?"
The man replied-"But I didn't rope it."
"So what? Your donkey doesn't know it. You again go and just act to free it from the tree."-saint advised.
The man acted just as the saint said. Now his donkey is free and started to move.
One day he went deep inside the forest and collected more wood. But while returning he got lost his way as the dawn came. He found a Saint's small hut in that forest. He decided to stay that night there. The Saint gave him permission to stay there. But he had another problem to solve. His donkey had to be roped. But there was no rope for that purpose. The man again approached the saint asking for rope. Saint said-"Why should I keep rope. There is no rope with me."
The saint continued-"Do you rope the donkey everyday?"
The man replied affirmatively.
The Saint-"Then I find no problem. You take your donkey near that big tree and just act as if you are roping it to that tree."
The man thought the saint may have some divine power with that his donkey will be protected and stay safe there. So he did accordingly.
The next morning the man wanted to leave after giving thanks to the saint he went to his donkey and started pulling. But to his astonishment the donkey didn't move. The man again returned to the saint and said-"what happen to my donkey? It's not moving."
The saint understands all and with a smile answered-"Haven't you freed your donkey from the tree? How will it go?"
The man replied-"But I didn't rope it."
"So what? Your donkey doesn't know it. You again go and just act to free it from the tree."-saint advised.
The man acted just as the saint said. Now his donkey is free and started to move.
The moral of the story is - We are neither bound nor do we have to make ourselves free. We are free always. This is our mind that always makes us fool. Mind is the only barrier between me and my real I. We are bounded by our own mind.
