I asked the monk why he always carried a tear in the corner of his eye, he replied “It binds me to compassion.” But I asked “why a tear?” He smiled and instead asked me a question, “why do you carry a gaping whole in your heart?” I was stunned and speechless but gathered myself answering “It reminds me to be vulnerable.” “Ah” said the monk, “the difference between my tear and your wound is?” We sat in a meadow back to back meditating till the sun went down.
