QUOTE : In ancient times, a thoughtful nun was sad about the transience of all life. She said to her teacher: ‘All things decay. Today dawned beautifully, but tonight it will die. Life is only a breath. Man is born to die. What value has existence?’ The teacher said to the nun: ‘Go ask the butterfly. Go ask a candle. Go ask a drop of water.’ The nun went to a sacred barna tree, a tree with white flowers which attracted white butterflies. She watched and saw how the butterflies lived only one day each. The nun went to the temple. She looked at candles burning in front of the Buddha. She saw how the candles went out after only one hour each. The nun went to a river. She saw how the river was made of a million drops of water. She saw how they passed her town in less than the time it took to sip a cup of tea and never come back. The nun went back to her school. She said: ‘Life is transient like a butterfly visiting a sacred barna tree.’ But the gardener was present. He said: ‘No. Butterflies make plants live. Already the barna tree is older than you are. It has been growing for a hundred years.’ She said: ‘Life is transient like a candle in a temple.’ But the priest was there. He said: ‘No. The fire in the temple has been burning for many centuries. It is one thousand years old.’ She said: ‘Life is transient like a drop of water passing a town in a river.’ But the old boatman was there. He said: ‘No. The river has been there for ten thousand years. It will be there for ten thousand more.’ And so it is with us, Blade of Grass. Some of us see the butterfly, the candle and the drop of water. Some of us see the tree, the fire and the river.