There was this whole bunch of Pumpkins in the garden of the Master.

One day all the Pumpkins started fighting among themselves. So great was the quarrel that nearly the stage was reached where blood would flow, Pumpkin blood!

Hearing all the commotion the Master came out, saw the situation and said "You must stop fighting and love each other".

"How is it possible?" asked one of the Pumpkins pointing to another. "When he is trying to strangle me how can I love him?"

"He threw a hard fist on my right eye first" complained the other.

"That's because you stole my place…"

"Quiet. Quiet… please" Pleaded the master. "This way it will never end. You are fighting because you don't understand that you are one"

"How can it be so" Asked a fat one who has grown a bit out of shape. "I can very well see all these idiots are separate from me."

"Hey you, you call us idiots?" Another fat Pumpkin stood up with a folded fist ready to hit.

The master realized the fragility of the situation. 

"Come on children. Calm down. You will not be able to know your oneness with all these agitations. Relax. Keep your mind quiet. Then search for your source and you will know for yourself that you all are one and fighting is self destructive"

"How can I keep my mind quiet?" Enquired a tender one.

Master said "Try to meditate".

Puzzled, the Pumpkins had never meditated, they asked how that was to be done.

"No problem" said the Master "See those Buddhist monks, meditating. Observe them and do exactly as them".

The Pumpkins looked and saw the shaved heads of the Buddhist monks, they in fact looked like Pumpkins themselves. Not knowing what to do, they decided to follow suit. After all the Master had never asked them to do anything as such. The Pumpkins got into the Buddha pose, closed their eyes and being innocent pumpkins, no dialectic thoughts running through them as disturbances, in no time were lost in themselves.

Soon there was such peace, such tranquility, such depth of silence, that the Pumpkins were astonished at what had happened.

The Master came out, looked at the sea of tranquil Pumpkins. Happy with the situation he said "Very well children, you have done sufficient penance and are matured enough to penetrate the inner depths of your beingness. Now put your hands on your 7th chakra, the crown chakra".

The Pumpkins obediently raised their hands and touched right on top of their head. All they could feel was the horn like extension which always was there which they never used to bother.

"Follow it further with one pointed concentration and see where it begins", instructed the Master.

They did so and for the first time in their life they came to know that it was connecting them to the branch.

"Investigate further to see where it goes from the branch"

Following the gaze further, they saw it was connected to a huge plant spread all over. They all were connected to the same plant.
They were in fact One Pumpkin. Never separate from each other.

"Stay on with that oneness", said the Master

In silence and stillness they listened to the subtle song of truth. They realized that it was a single heart beating and what they thought as theirs was just echoes.  They knew it was a single brain operating 
and their thoughts were just reflections. The body & mind they proudly thought as their own were just ex-pressions of the mighty existence.

"Now" said the Master "tell me what you all see?".

Amidst innocent serene faces, one voice was heard to murmur.

"No master, there are no WE. Only the mother plant is. It is her love of being expressed as us, Pumpkins. Actually, she alone is… Love alone is…

"So it is…" nodded the Master.

Satisfied in their realization, the Master closed his eyes and merged.

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(Expanded on a theme heard once upon time in a far away webland…)