“Once, a powerful king had to make a decision that went against his heart. Two of his ministers had committed a crime, and although he loved them deeply and wished to forgive them, this was against the laws of the land and would set a dangerous precedent. According to the law, their crime was punishable by death.
The king struggled greatly, but eventually found a way.
“They must be sentenced to death,” he said, “but I will give them one more chance. A rope will be stretched between two cliffs over a deep abyss. If they manage to walk across it, I will pardon them.”
This was almost impossible. They had never walked on a rope in their lives, let alone on a rope stretched over a vast chasm — a fall would mean certain death. Walking on a rope is an art that requires long training and discipline. They had never even dreamed they might one day become tightrope walkers.
One of the two men could not sleep that night. He prayed to God for help again and again. In the morning he could not even drink his tea. When he arrived at the place where the execution was to take place, he was trembling with fear. The whole capital had gathered to watch.
The other man, knowing perfectly well that he had no skill in walking on a rope and that death was almost certain, decided there was nothing to be done. If death was inevitable, why worry? He slept well that night, drank his tea calmly in the morning, and arrived at the place in silence and peace.
When he stepped onto the rope, a miracle happened — he walked.
No one could believe their eyes. Even professional tightrope walkers had come to watch, and even they were astonished. For them, too, the distance was too great and the danger too real. One wrong step, the slightest tilt to the left or right, one moment of imbalance — and death would be waiting below. Yet the man walked calmly, as if he were taking his morning stroll. He reached the other cliff safely.
The first man was shaking and sweating. From where he stood, he cried out:
“Please, tell me how you did it, so that I can cross as well!”
The other man called back:
“It is difficult, because I do not know how to explain it. I only know this: this is the way I have walked all my life. I am not a tightrope walker — and yet now I understand that I am, because this is how I have lived: balanced, never going to extremes. And if I lean to the left, I immediately compensate by leaning to the right. I have done nothing else. But this will not help you now, because this is not something one can learn in a moment. If you live this way, the skill comes to you.”
Source: Traditional parable, retold in various spiritual traditions (popularized by Osho)
