--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a Buddhist story about the guy…" description: "\"There's a Buddhist story about the guy who wants to be enlightened, and then he gets a cow and a wife and a child, and all these things get in the way ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/larkin-grimm-21078_buddhism_there-s-a-buddhist-story-about-the-guy-w_145678.jpg" --- # There's a Buddhist story about the guy who wants to be… ![“There's a Buddhist story about the guy who wants to be enlightened, and then he gets a cow and a wife and a child, and all these things get in the way of his enlightenment. So, yeah, I have no chance of being enlightened.” quote by Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/larkin-grimm-21078_buddhism_there-s-a-buddhist-story-about-the-guy-w_145678.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/larkin-grimm-21078_buddhism_there-s-a-buddhist-story-about-the-guy-w_145678.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ef/larkin-grimm-21078_buddhism_there-s-a-buddhist-story-about-the-guy-w_145678.jpg) > “There's a Buddhist story about the guy who wants to be enlightened, and then he gets a cow and a wife and a child, and all these things get in the way of his enlightenment. So, yeah, I have no chance of being enlightened.” [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A humorous story shows how life’s responsibilities distract from spiritual goals, implying enlightenment is hard to achieve. **In simple terms:** Life’s duties block spiritual progress. Key Takeaway Balance responsibilities with inner growth. Themes spirituality distraction humor Mood lighthearted thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - family life - career demands - personal practice Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy life balance Questions to Reflect On - How can one integrate duties with enlightenment? - What practices help maintain focus? A Different Perspective The anecdote may oversimplify complex spiritual paths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Buddhist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist/) [Buddhist Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhist-story-1633741/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Cows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cows/) [Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened/) [Enlightened Gets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightened-gets-1633742/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Enlightenment Yeah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment-yeah-1633743/) [Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guy/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wants Enlightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wants-enlightened-1633740/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Yeah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yeah/) ## Related quotes > [“A Buddhist story is that a man came shouting angrily at Buddha, who remained unaffected by him. When questioned by others as to how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronnie-ware/a-buddhist-story-is-that-a-man-came-shouting-angrily-at-buddha-who/) [Bronnie Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronnie-ware/) > [Everybody wants to get enlightened but nobody wants to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cohen/everybody-wants-to-get-enlightened-but-nobody-wants-to-change/) [Andrew Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cohen/) > [When I was working at Omega, I took this Zen retreat, where you're quiet, you don't say anything for a week, and this guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/when-i-was-working-at-omega-i-took-this-zen-retreat-where-you-re/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [The velocity of light occupies an extraordinary place in modern physics. It is lèse-majesté to make any criticism of the velocity of light. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-standen/the-velocity-of-light-occupies-an-extraordinary-place-in-modern/) [Anthony Standen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-standen/) > [Learning is like a cow of desire. It, like her, yields in all seasons. Like a mother, it feeds you on your journey. Therefore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/learning-is-like-a-cow-of-desire-it-like-her-yields-in-all-seasons/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [Talking to animals' isn't a matter of words used, it is a matter of your thoughts, your expression, and above all the tone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-woodhouse/talking-to-animals-isn-t-a-matter-of-words-used-it-is-a-matter-of/) [Barbara Woodhouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-woodhouse/) > [Spring comes with joyous laugh, and song, and sunshine, and the burnt sacrifice of the over-ripe boot and the hoary overshoe. The cowboy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wilson-nye/spring-comes-with-joyous-laugh-and-song-and-sunshine-and-the-burnt/) [Edgar Wilson Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wilson-nye/) > [The thing that bothers me the most is the recklessness and greed of the local ranchers, who run too many cattle back here, choking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-haggard/the-thing-that-bothers-me-the-most-is-the-recklessness-and-greed-of/) [Merle Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-haggard/) > [Sometimes you look in a field and you see a cow and you think it's a better cow than the one you've got in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/sometimes-you-look-in-a-field-and-you-see-a-cow-and-you-think-it-s-a/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [To isolate mathematics from the practical demands of the sciences is to invite the sterility of a cow shut away from the bulls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pafnuty-chebyshev/to-isolate-mathematics-from-the-practical-demands-of-the-sciences-is/) [Pafnuty Chebyshev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pafnuty-chebyshev/) > [My dad's idea of punishment was to dress me up in all green to disguise me as grass, and then throw me in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-callen/my-dad-s-idea-of-punishment-was-to-dress-me-up-in-all-green-to/) [Bryan Callen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-callen/) > [In most agencies, account executives outnumber the copywriters two to one. If you were a dairy farmer, would you employ twice as many milkers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/in-most-agencies-account-executives-outnumber-the-copywriters-two-to/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [ Gonna rain like a cow pissin' on a flat rock" \[drugstore clerk to detective Virgil Flowers\] Dark of the Moon, p.7 ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sandford/gonna-rain-like-a-cow-pissin-on-a-flat-rock-drugstore-clerk-to/) [John Sandford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sandford/) > [Cows are a lot smarter across the board than bulls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-haden-church/cows-are-a-lot-smarter-across-the-board-than-bulls/) [Thomas Haden Church](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-haden-church/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) ## More by Larkin Grimm > [I remember reading a book that was on songwriting at some point that I found in my dad's store, and just... I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/i-remember-reading-a-book-that-was-on-songwriting-at-some-point-that/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Before I had a kid, I was off in some kind of cosmic state all of the time, and thinking about the world beyond,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/before-i-had-a-kid-i-was-off-in-some-kind-of-cosmic-state-all-of-the/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Where you go to these really good schools, and it's all about preparing for the next step of success. That was never even on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/where-you-go-to-these-really-good-schools-and-it-s-all-about/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Like the oxytocin you get as a mom makes you forget everything constantly. And I'm a totally different person after having a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/like-the-oxytocin-you-get-as-a-mom-makes-you-forget-everything/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Why even live? If that's your goal, if you're just clamoring your way to the top, I mean, why even have a life? Somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/why-even-live-if-that-s-your-goal-if-you-re-just-clamoring-your-way/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [I started off in architecture, and I just couldn't fit into the vibe there. I just felt more at home in the Art Department,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/i-started-off-in-architecture-and-i-just-couldn-t-fit-into-the-vibe/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [When I was working at Omega, I took this Zen retreat, where you're quiet, you don't say anything for a week, and this guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/when-i-was-working-at-omega-i-took-this-zen-retreat-where-you-re/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [I remember there was this one lady shaman who said that having children puts a hole in your soul. And the only way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/i-remember-there-was-this-one-lady-shaman-who-said-that-having/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Most of the musicians that I'm playing with now have jazz backgrounds, so they're comfortable with improvisation. And they all know to make eye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/most-of-the-musicians-that-i-m-playing-with-now-have-jazz-backgrounds/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [You've got to deal with the world with all of its troubles, while you've still got this alternate image. It's not about being in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/you-ve-got-to-deal-with-the-world-with-all-of-its-troubles-while-you/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [So Nemerov showed us this picture, which is of Apollo flaying Marcius. You don't think of Apollo as being the sort of person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/so-nemerov-showed-us-this-picture-which-is-of-apollo-flaying-marcius/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [I've always been curious about people's psychedelic experiences, and I kind of had this assumption that I was going to have some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/i-ve-always-been-curious-about-people-s-psychedelic-experiences-and-i/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [I think everybody is psychic. I think it's one of the things in our subconscious that, for some reason, we've convinced ourselves that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/i-think-everybody-is-psychic-i-think-it-s-one-of-the-things-in-our/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Usually, I think it's best to play the song for them once and have them mix it up on the spot, because when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/usually-i-think-it-s-best-to-play-the-song-for-them-once-and-have/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) > [Ayahuasca is a brew that's made from the vine, which is the hallucinogenic element. And then there's also this leaf from a bush. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larkin-grimm/ayahuasca-is-a-brew-that-s-made-from-the-vine-which-is-the/) [Larkin Grimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) [Explore all 30 Larkin Grimm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larkin-grimm/) ## More Buddhism quotes > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. 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After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) [Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There's a Buddhist story about the guy who wants to be enlightened, and then he gets a cow and a wife and a child, and all these things get in the way of his enlightenment. 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