Many years ago, before I became a monk, ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro

Many years ago, before I became a monk, I spent some time living in a grass-roofed hut on a beach in India. One day a coconut fell down from a nearby tree. I wanted to eat the flesh of that coconut and drink its milk so much. Unfortunately, I had no machete and no means of opening it up. The more I thought about the inside of the coconut the more thirsty I became, but to my frustration, there was nothing I could do. In the end, I had to leave the coconut there in the sand where it had fallen. It might as well have been a green rock.

The flesh and milk of the Dhamma is far more delicious and nutritious than that of a coconut, and its outer shell can seem even more difficult to penetrate. But by steady, patient practice of the Buddha's path of generosity, morality and mental cultivation, we can all come to understand the Buddhas words: 'Of all the tastes in the world, the taste of the Dhamma is the most excellent

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