A nicely written reflective piece on the nature of weapons and combat. I did notice some grammar issues (beginnings of sentences not capitalized, questions ending in periods) and in particular, you should begin a new paragraph whenever the speaker changes. I appreciated how understated everything was: the titular parable made its point delicately but clearly, without being overly forced or contrived - exactly the sort of thing a good teacher might actually use as an illustration, especially one about thinking clearly. I was left curious about how Arasen has come to be learning meditation - he's an unusual Jackal, clearly, and I understand you've got a word count to adhere to, but a hint in that direction would have been good. (And on a second read, I was assuming Master Jow-Kai was a Jackal himself, but the text doesn't actually state this. Is he supposed to be TAO?)
(Also, was it Jackal month and no-one told me? That's at least the third story I've read where the Jackals play a major role.)