Monk knew Koi was back and she was patiently waiting till Monk was ready to speak.
“Good morning Koi. I see you are up early today.”
“Good morning Monk. Yes I am. I swam here as soon as I woke up.”
The lake was silent this morning as the sunrise unraveled itself. There was no wind and the trees were still sleeping. Not even one leaf moved today. The surface of the lake was still and serene, without a single ripple disturbing its tranquility.
“I have a new question for you Monk” Koi spoke fast, her eagerness to speak in complete contrast to the patience just moments before.
“How does one achieve peace of mind? What do I have to do to get to a state where I am always calm? I just can’t seem to get to that space however much I try.”
Monk listened to Koi and he was quiet for a while. The lake and the garden were silent too and waited on the monk. Koi waited, back to a being patient once she had shared her thoughts.
“Koi, when you came here today and swam to the surface to speak, did you notice the ripples around you?”
“I didn’t Monk. Though you are right, when I arrive to the surface, there’s a ring of ripples that emanates around me.”
“So true Koi. Do you think it’s possible to swim up to the surface without causing a ripple? And do you see a ripple now as you are completely still and talking to me,”
“True. There’s no ripples around me now Monk.”
“Koi, there will always be ripples that you will observe every day. The more still you are and unaffected, the faster they disappear. The more you move, the more the ripples multiply. Some days like today, even the lake is still and some days the wind creates hundreds of ripples upon her surface and both are as beautiful.”
The monk was silent again. Koi stayed awhile and smiled. She played with the water and let her fins break the water and she watched the ripples dance around her. She watched them disappear and observed the calmness of the lake again before she swam away.
SEEKING ANSARS 
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