A monk and a monkey sat under the big tree. The monk rested on the large roots, while the monkey swung from the branches. The river raged with monsoon force and violent currents, and neither dared to cross to the other side. The monk sat upright, eyes closed, breathing slowly. The monkey? He was just up to monkey business. The monk sat silently as long as he could, then spoke gently: 'Monkey, can you please be quiet for a while?' Monkey paused, hanging upside down with half-eaten fruit in his mouth. He stared at the monk for a moment, spat out the seeds, and then munched on the rest of the fruit. When he had finished, he simply hopped onto the next branch to grab another fruit. The monk looked up only to see the monkey’s red butt, then turned inward again, closing his eyes. Within minutes, the monkey rustled the branches to scare away the birds that had quietly appeared to check out the fruits. The birds scattered around, called out on the monkey’s displeasure, but the monkey didn’t care. He wasn’t going to tolerate the birds on his tree, eating his fruits! The monk had now completely given up on silence and opened his eyes, only to see that the river’s rage had not subsided. He stood up, turned to face the tree, and laid his towel on the ground. Resting his back, he began watching the monkey’s antics, a smile on his face. River raged on.