50-minute English Lesson
In this free English lesson, two monks help a woman cross the river. It’s a simple story that teaches an important lesson about spending too much time thinking about the past.

Read the story
Two Monks
What happens if we can’t stop thinking about events that happened in the past? Sometimes those memories become a problem. That’s one possible message in this simple story.
One morning, two monks were walking along a mountain path. One man was old and wise. The other was young and didn’t have much experience.
Around lunchtime, the two men came to a wide river. The water was moving at a great speed. They studied the current. They were looking for a safe place to cross.
Soon, a young woman approached them. She wanted to go to the other side of the river but was afraid. She asked the monks if they would help her.
Without speaking, the old monk put the woman on his back. Then he crossed the river. He walked slowly and carefully.
On the other side of the river, he put her on the ground. She thanked the man and continued on her journey.
The young monk was shocked by what he had seen. He was taught that monks should never touch a woman.
On the other side of the river, the young monk wanted to ask a question. But he didn’t say a word.
Several hours passed, and the two men did not speak. Finally, after many hours of not talking, the young monk spoke. He asked the old man, “Monks are not allowed to touch women. Why did you carry her on your back?”
The old man turned around and looked at the young man. Then he said, “My dear brother, I put that woman on the ground many hours ago. Why do you still carry her in your mind?”
Listen without reading
Free English Lesson
Audio
Here is the listening file for this lesson.
Audio file: 1:53 min
Story length: 275 words

English by listening: Gap Fill
Listen to the story again and fill in the blanks.
What happens if we can’t stop ________ _______ events that happened in the past? Sometimes those memories become a problem. That’s one ________ message in this simple story.
One morning, two monks were walking along a mountain ________ . One man was old and wise. The other was young and didn’t have ________ experience.
Around lunchtime, the two men came to a ________ river. The water was moving at a great ________ . They studied the current. They were looking for a safe place to cross.
Soon, a young woman approached them. She wanted to go to the other side of the river but was ________ . She asked the monks if they would help her.
________ speaking, the old monk put the woman on his back. Then he crossed the river. He walked slowly and ________ .
On the other side of the river, he put her on the ground. She thanked the man and continued on her ________ .
The young monk was shocked by what he had seen. He was ________ that monks should never touch a woman.
On the other side of the river, the young monk wanted _____ _____ ____ question. But he didn’t say a word.
Several hours ________ , and the two men did not speak. Finally, after many hours of not talking, the young monk ________ . He asked the old man, “Monks are not allowed to touch women. Why did you ________ her on your back?”
The old man turned around and looked at the young man. Then he said, “My dear ________ , I put that woman on the ground many hours ago. Why do you still carry her in your ________ ?”
ESL discussion questions
Talk about the story.
- Where were the monks walking?
- Who did they meet?
- What did the old monk do at the river?
- Why was the young monk surprised?
- How did the old monk respond?
- Does this ESL listening story have a message? What is it?
Synonym match
Match the word or phrase on the left with the correct synonym.
1. path 2. journey 3. passed 4. wise 5. slowly | a. went by b. gradually c. perceptive d. trail e. trek |
Anagrams
MOVE THE LETTERS. MAKE A WORD FROM THE ENGLISH LISTENING STORY.
- ESOMIRME
- NURTREC
- DLWOU
- SPADES
- OWEDALL
- DRUOGN
Writing practice
Write the five sentences. Put the words in the correct order.
- that’s / one / in / simple / this / possible / story / message
- and / man / one / old / was / wise
- of / to / but / wanted / river / was / other / go / she / afraid / to / side / the / the
- seen / by / had / young / shocked / the / what / was / monk / he /
- the / young / question / monk / ask / the / the / a / wanted / to / of / other / river / side / on
Another ESL listening story
Try this free English by listening lesson and learn why Twitter tweets used to have 140 characters.
Reading and note taking
Did you like this English by Listening story? Read more about hiking trails. This story describes seven great trials in South Korea.
- Scan the article.
- Take notes.
- Make a list with at least eight facts.
Get the worksheet
Want to print out these ESL listening activities? Click to download the PDF worksheet.
Copyright Notice
This text and audio file are copyrighted. They may be used for non-commercial educational purposes. They may not be used or adapted for any commercial purpose.