High in the misty peaks of the Himalayas stood a remote mountain monastery, home to a small community of monks living in isolation for spiritual contemplation. The monastery could only be reached by a treacherous climb up steep, icy cliffs.
One day, a brave traveler successfully completed the dangerous ascent to the isolated monastery. The head monk welcomed him graciously, albeit perplexed by his arduous journey.
"What wisdom do you seek, good stranger, that compelled you to risk your life finding this solitary refuge?" asked the monk.
"I have heard Zen masters reside here in profound meditation," said the traveler. "I wish to learn their secrets to attain inner peace."
The monk smiled sadly and replied: "Friend, you believe this place and its residents hold some mystical insight. But true wisdom comes not from a location or vocation. We struggle with the same human turmoil here as people do everywhere. Your journey was in vain."
With dawn's first light, the traveler descended the cliffs, pondering the monk's words. He realized that the path to enlightenment begins within, not atop some distant peak. True serenity emerges from taming one's own mind, not seeking it in external solitude.
The moral being that inner peace springs from self-reflection, not isolation. External silence alone cannot calm the storms within our minds.