The idea of "monkeys building a bridge" comes from the Ramayana, one of India's two epic poems and one of its most loved stories. It tells of Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, and his wife, Sita, who is kidnapped by the demon king, Ravana, and carried across the ocean to his fortress city on the island of Lanka. The storyline then centers on Rama's efforts to find and rescue Sita. He is aided by his loyal brother, Lakshman, and an army of monkeys; foremost among them is Hanuman, a monkey with not only amazing powers and unbelievable strength but an intense devotion and love for Rama.
Once they discover where Sita is being held, the next obstacle is how to get the entire army across the 100 miles of ocean that seperates them and the fortified island. The answer is to build a bridge, using the powers of Nala, one of the monkey chiefs and architect who has the boon that whatever he touches will not sink. So the monkeys begin tearing down mountains and using the rocks to form a bridge that stretches out across the great expanse of water to Sita.
I've read this story many times and in many different versions. What I'm always struck with is the compelling sense that this is not just an ancient story, but that it's the story of our lives today. The quest to find the part of ourselves that is lost, to reconnect with the truth of who we are, and the profound grace that is the people, practices, and experiences that help us along the way.
Here are three of my favorite verions of the Ramayana:
Ramayana by William Buck
The Ramayana: A Modern Retelling of the Great Indian Epic by Ramesh Menon
The Ramayana by Elizabeth Seeger
Jai Monkeys!