The Sheepish Lion

Once there was a great lioness who went hunting with her new born cub. It happened that while attacking and chasing a flock of sheep, the she-lion made a wrong move, fell of a cliff and died.

The cub was left in the midst of the sheep and grew up with them. As the years passed, the cub became a full-grown lion, but it was instinctually conditioned like a sheep. It made a bleating sound, bah-bah and was afraid of all other animals, just as the sheep.

One day a lion attacked the flock and, in the chase, was shocked to see the ridiculous sight of a lion running away with the other sheep crying in fear. He caught up to the sheepish lion and stopped him, asking, “What are you doing? Why are you acting in this ridiculous way? You a great - powerful lion acting like a lowly powerless sheep? What has come over you? You should be ashamed of yourself”.

The sheepish lion explained that he was a sheep, and that his parents had taught him to fear and bleat and run in horror from the lions who were powerful and to be feared.

He then took the sheepish lion down to the river and showed him his face, so that he could see that he was like the lion and not like the sheep. The lion then woke up from his ignorance and discovered his previously ignored inner courage, strength and majesty.

We are like the sheepish lion. The sheep represent our human nature - our personality which always moans, fears, complains, worries and has anxiety about everything. The Lion is the Spiritual part of us which is all-powerful and indestructible. Great spiritual teachers and saints come to tell us the truth of our “LION NATURE”, our as yet untapped spiritual powers and greatness which are within us.

We too must awaken to the spiritual qualities which are lying within, so that we may overcome fear - which is simply a result of our mistaken identity.

© Robert Najemy