The Guru and the Scorpion

Last night during class the Yogi shared this story with us:

There was once a guru who had recently found a new follower. Followers were never allowed to question the guru's actions or beliefs and the new follower was sure to obey this rule. Every day the guru went to the river to drink water, and every day the scorpion on the banks of the river stung him. On the third day after the guru was stung, the follower finally asked,
"Why do you continue to allow this scorpion to sting you? Why won't you just kill the scorpion and avoid the pain?"

The guru answered,
"It's the scorpion's nature to sting, but it is my nature to love unconditionally!"

I love this story!! The main lesson of the story is to not allow external circumstances to influence one's nature!!

This may be easier said than done, but since the guru knew that his nature was to love unconditionally, he realized that the scorpion sting was just a test.