An aged monk, who had
lived a long and active life, was assigned a chaplain’s role at an academy for
girls. In discussion groups he often found that the subject of love became a
central topic. This comprised his warning to the young women: “Understand the
danger of anything-too-much in your lives. Too much anger in combat can lead to
recklessness and death. Too much ardor in religious beliefs can lead to close-mindedness
and persecution. Too much passion in love creates dream images of the beloved –
images that ultimately prove false and generate anger. To love too much is to
lick honey from the point of a knife.” “But as a celibate monk,” asked one
young woman, “how can you know of love between a man and a woman?” “Sometime,
dear children,” replied the old teacher, “I will tell you why I became a monk.”
