The heaviest load

Once a spiritual Master went out for a picnic with a group of twenty disciples. The disciples were so happy that they were going out with their Master. The Master told his disciples, “I have twenty bags for you to carry. These contain things which we are going to use today. Please each choose a bag to carry.” Then the Master added, “But mind you, you will not be able to change the bag once you take it. Once you choose it, you won’t be able to change with anyone.”

The disciples started lifting up all the bags to find the lightest ones. All of them were looking for the light, lighter, lightest bag except one fellow who was looking for the heavy, heavier, heaviest one. The other disciples thought he was a real fool. They were so happy that this fool was carrying the heaviest load, while their bags were comparatively light.

After they had walked for four or five hours the Master said, “Let us sit down and eat. Please empty the bag that has the food in it. The other bags we will carry to our next destination. There we shall see the most beautiful trees and flowers. Then we shall go back home.”

All the disciples sat down to eat. O God, when they opened the bags, they discovered that only the heavy one had food in it. The other ones contained only sand, clay, broken pots and all kinds of worthless things. The disciple with the heaviest bag emptied it at the request of the Master and everybody ate the food. When they set out for their second destination, the disciple who had had the heaviest load was now carrying a totally empty bag.

When they reached the second destination, an orchard, they picked fruits and admired the beautiful scenery. They spent quite a few hours there and then they walked to a museum. Finally, they had a six-hour walk back home.

Afterwards the Master said, “I told you that you could not change your bags. The one who had the heaviest load in the beginning, later had the lightest bag. While walking to the second and third destinations, and also on the way home, he had nothing to carry. As for the rest of you, your bags were lighter to start with, but then you had to carry them much, much farther. The one who chose the heaviest bag was good and kind-hearted. The rest of you wanted to find the lightest bag. So you rogues had to carry bags that contained only rubbish for the entire trip!”

The Master said to his rogue disciples, “You are my third-class disciples and he is my first-class disciple. The one who wants to carry everybody’s load is the one who is really a first-class disciple!”