The Tiger and The Monk

Ever heard the words: "Ignorance is bliss."?
Well, yesterday I watched a very touching documentary -- The Tiger and The Monk. How one Thai man who, 31 years ago, was diagnosed with Leukemia and told would die soon took to meditation and became a monk. And he didn't stop there, out of his extraordinary affection for animals, he took care of every wild animal that came into their monastery. Especially, tigers.

He had no official training. All his over 15 years care for tigers and treating them like pets is built completely on lack of expert knowledge and a loving heart. And guess the result? He managed to create what no zoo or wildlife park in the world has ever come close to creating. Because he had no excessive knowledge of precautions and best practices, he was able to do what no other person has done and created the largest sanctuary for endangered tigers.

image: kettik.com

When asked if he had no fear for his life or that the tigers might go rogue, he said he had been told he had a few weeks to live 30 years ago when he was diagnosed with Leukemia, that he has lost his fear for death and it's the main reason he is living selflessly. That was also very touching. A proof that when we stop being afraid of what could go wrong we release ourselves for unusual exploits.

What I found most impressive about it all was that he became a monk so as to have a simple lifestyle unburdened with any ambition. He had no dream of starting the world's biggest sanctuary for tigers. Monks don't work for money and live entirely of donated food. So in a typical world, you don't expect any "largest in the world" feat from them. His feat proves that being dedicated and growing slowly, even without ambitions, you will achieve great things.

What limits most of us is too much knowledge of the risks in everything we would love to do. We want a simple life built on complex rules.