iffageek falls

i've been thinking about a lot of things related to my job, some good, most bitter or angry with the way i let things turn out. when i started, i thought that this was the ideal job for me. lately, i've been losing so much of the enjoyment that i first had, and the job has left me feeling drained, and yet stressed and frustrated (no small feat). i keep wondering what i could have done differently, wondering where i lost the fun, and playing the wonderful "if i had only" game. after quite a while, i finally remembered this story. no jokes today, no puns, no silly pseudo-questions. this is an actual buddhist parable, from japan (i think). however, like many jokes, i remember the basic setup, the main elements, and the "punchline," as it were; the actual wording (and any subsequent loss of meaning) are mine.

Two monks, master and student, are walking through the woods, when they come across a swiftly moving river. a woman is sitting on the near bank, crying. The older monk walks up to her and asks her why she is crying. She replies that she needs to get across the river, but it's too deep and too fast for her to cross. Without hesitating, the older monk tells her to climb on his back and proceeds to carry her across the river. Once on the other side, she thanks him profusely, and the travelers continue on their separate ways.

The younger monk is obviously outraged, but manages to hold his tongue for quite a while. His master is amused, but merely walks on in silence, waiting for the explosion. Finally, unable to control himself, the student bursts out, "Master! How could you do that? That was wrong!!"
"What was wrong?"
"What you did with that woman!"
"When I helped her, it was wrong?"
"Yes, master."
"So it is wrong for us to help people in need?"
Big silence. "Of course not, master, but you carried her!"
"So?" the old monk asked, still amused.
Even more upset, his pupil continued, "You touched her! You broke your vow of chastity!"
The older monk became serious, "Not so, for we did nothing improper. I merely helped someone do what was impossible alone. Had it been a young child, an old woman or man, or a cripple, I would have done the same. However, by your standards, you are even more corrupt than I."
Thoroughly confused, the pupil looks at the older monk, and asks, tentatively, "What do you mean, master?"
"Well, I merely carried her across the stream and left her there. You've been carrying her around with you the entire afternoon!"