Three questions

Once upon a time, there was a queen who was looking for enlightenment.

Once day, she disguised herself as a simple peasant trotting many miles in the mountain to come to an old woman living alone in the hut on top of the mountain.

By the time the queen arrived, the old woman was working on the field, planting vegetables on the field.  The queen asked the old woman three questions which were:
(1) When was the most important time, and what was the most important thing to do at that time?
(2) Who was the most important person to serve?
(3) What was the most important thing to do in his or her life?

After listening to the three questions, the old woman, though nodded, continued to work on the field.

The field was large.  The queen thought without another hand to help, the work would be there forever, and she would not get advice from the old woman.  So, the queen took another equipment and help out the old woman working on the field.

They worked until sundown, taking break only for water and lunch.  It is getting late, and the queen still did not get the answer. The queen was about to leave.

“Wait,” the old woman stopped the queen by pointing her finger to the wood where they saw a man staggering in the wood, with blood gushing out his stomach.  The two women rushed to the wounded person, and found proper cloth to stop the man from bleeding.

It was getting really dark.  The queen and the wounded man stayed in the hut overnight.
On the next day, the man saw the queen, and kneeled down in front of the queen and asked for forgiveness.

“ You probably do not know me; but I was your sworn enemy who was trying to kill you.  Many years ago, your soldiers killed my brother and took away our perpetual. “

“ I learned that you were coming to see the old woman in the hut.  I was hiding in the bush waiting to ambush you on your way back to your palace.  But you did not show up.”

“So, I decided to find you, but your soldiers spotted me, and stabbed me in the stomach.  Without your help, I would have been bleeding to death.  Please forgive me.”

The queen immediately forgave the man and promising him when she was back to palace, she would provide the man with her own physician and gave back the property.

By this time, the queen still did not get the answer.  She was very disappointed and was about to leave.

“ Wait, your questions have been answered. “. The old woman said.
“What is that?” The queen puzzled.

“ Yesterday, if you did not work side-by-side with me, you would have been stabbed by this would-be assassin and would be dead.  Therefore, for yesterday afternoon, the most important thing to do is to work side-by-side with me on the field.  I was the most important person for you to serve at the time.”

“ Last night, if you did not help the would-be assassin, he would have been dead. You and the man would never have another chance to reconcile. Therefore, last night, the most important thing to do was to help the man stopped bleeding; and the most important person to serve was the man who was bleeding.

“Remember, the most important time in”now”, right at this moment.  The most important person to serve at this moment is the person, you are now interacts with.  The most important thing to do for our life is to serve another human being”.

This is the lesson taught by this old woman to the queen.