VML-5/16/00

[Guest guest]

There is a story about a lioness, who was big with young, going about

in search of prey; and seeing a flock of sheep, she jumped upon them.

She died in the effort; and a little baby lion was born, motherless.

It was taken care of by the sheep and the sheep brought it up, and it

grew up with them, ate grass, and bleated like the sheep. And

although in time it became a big, full-grown lion, it thought it was

a sheep.

One day another lion came in search of prey and was astonished to

find that in the midst of this flock of sheep was a lion, fleeing

like the sheep at the approach of danger. He tried to get near the

sheep-lion, to tell it that it was not a sheep but a lion; but the

poor animal fled at his approach. However, he watched his opportunity

and one day found the sheep-lion sleeping. He approached it and said,

" You are a lion. " " I am a sheep, " cried the other lion and could not

believe the contrary but bleated. The lion dragged him towards a lake

and said, " Look here, here is my reflection and yours. " Then came the

comparison. It looked at the lion and then at its own reflection, and

in a moment came the idea that it was a lion. The lion roared, the

bleating was gone. You are lions, you are souls, pure, infinite, and

perfect.