Isn't it time?

a story i chanced upon, which twin also told me ytd.

Once upon a time, there lived a old monk & a little monk. One day, the old monk brought the little monk along, to the nearby town to collect alms & purchase supplies for the temple.

Before they were abt to make their way across the bridge, they met a naked young lady, stranded.

And so, the old monk carried the lady step by step, across the bridge The old monk sat the lady down by the boulder where she could rest. Then the old monk bid the her farewell as he & the little monk carried on with the rest of the journey to the town. Throughout the journey, the little monk seemed troubled, but kept silent.

After travelling some distance, they finally reached the entrance of the town. Just then, the little monk couldn't contain himself anymore... He finally gathered himself & asked the old monk:

Little monk: Teacher, I just don't understand how you could carry that young lady on your back, across the river? Aren't we as monks, supposed to keep our distance from women? Aren't we breaking the rules as monks? I just don't understand..Why? Teacher, why?

So many questions the little monk asked. So many doubts inside the little monk's mind. All waiting for answers. But the old monk merely answered in a simple sentence, before entering into the town.

The old monk said, "Little disciple, I have already put the young lady down back by the river.. Why are you still carrying her on your back? Isn't it time for you to put her down?"