A saint standing in the river once saw a scorpion floating
by. He thought to save its life and picked it up from the water, but it stung
him with its tail, causing immense pain, which he could not bear, so the scorpion
fell back in the water as his hand recoiled.
Again, the saint picked it up, and the same story repeated
itself. Someone asked the saint why he kept doing this, when creature was
causing him so much pain.
The saint said, “It is following its nature. When such a
creature does not leave its nature, why should I leave mine?”
Discomfort should not cause one to leave one’s essential
nature.
Source – Book titled – Be Love Now: The Path of the Heart By
Ram Dass
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Another version of this story describes a fox who agrees to carry a scorpion on its back across a river, upon the condition that the scorpion doesn't sting him. But the scorpion does indeed sting the fox when they are in midstream. As the fox begins to drown, taking the scorpion with him, he pleadingly asks why the scorpion has jeopardized both of them by stinging. "Because it's my nature." (This story is attributed to Native Americans lore.)
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This story says that all suffering comes from trying to be something which one is not.
Each acts according to its nature and no amount of logic or reason overcomes our basic fundamental nature...
Despite the consequences all things cannot be but what they are.