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Zen

There once lived a great warrior. A young warrior arrivedat the village, determined to be the first man to defeatthe great master. As the two squared off for battle, the

young warrior began to hurl insults at the old master. Hethrew dirt and spat on his face. But the old warrior merely

stood there, motionless and calm. Finally, the young warriorexhausted himself and he left feeling shamed. Thestudents gathered around the old master and asked,µ Howcould you endure such indignity? Why did you drive himaway without even fighting?µ´If someone comes to give you a gift and you do not receiveit,µ the master replied, ´to whom does the gift belong?µThere is no need to get even with people when you know youcan actually get ahead of them.

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Zen

A hermit was meditating by a river when a young man interruptedhim, ´Master, I want to find god.µ The master jumped up, grabbedthe man by the scruff of his neck, dragged him into the river, andplunged his head under water. After holding him there for a minute,with him kicking and struggling to free himself, the master finallypulled his head out of the water. The young man coughed up waterand gasped for breath. The master asked, ´Tell me what youdesired the most when you were under water.µ ´Air!µ replied theexasperated man.´Very well,µ said the master. ´Go home and come back to me when

you want god as much as you just wanted air.µWishing, needing, wanting and desiring isn·t seeking. You are aseeker only when you are willing to give everything you·ve got, even

your own self.

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Zen

D uring a momentous battle, the general decided to attack eventhough his army was greatly outnumbered. Though he was confident,his men were filled with doubt. The general took out a coin and said,´ If it is heads we shall win. If it is tails, we shall lose. D estiny willnow reveal itself.µ He threw the coins into the air and all watchedintently as it landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyedand filled with confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemyand emerged victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked tothe general, ´ No one can change destiny.µ

´Quite right,µ the general replied, as he showed the lieutenant the cointhat had heads on both sides.D estiny is a matter of choice, not a matter of chance.

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Zen

A martial arts student approached his teacher with a question. ´I·dlike to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. So in addition tolearning from you, I·d like to study under another teacher in orderto learn another style. What do you think of this idea?µ

´ The hunter who chases two rabbits,µ answered the master, ´catchesneither.µFocus is not only your ability to stay attracted to the ¶One·,but also

the discipline to avoid the distraction of the other ¶Ninety-nine·.

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Zen

A rich man asked a Zen master to write something that the familycould cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the masterwrote, ´Father dies, son dies, grandson dies.µ The rich man becameangry when he saw the master·s words.

´ If your son should die before you,µ the master answered, ´this would

bring unbearable grief to your family. If your grandson should diebefore your son this would also bring great sorrow. If your family,generations after generation, disappears in the order I havementioned, it will be the natural course of life. This is truehappiness.µKnowledge has its ways which ignorance knows not. Ask questions to

the master; don·t questions the master.

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Zen

Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticeda scorpion that was drowning. One monk immediately scooped it uand set it upon the back. In the process, he was stung. As he wentback to washing his bowl, the scorpion fell in again. The monk savedit again and was again stung. The other monk asked him, ´ Friend,why do you continue to save the scorpion when you know its natureis to sting.µ´Because,µ the monk replied, ´ to save it is my nature.µD ivinity sings from the heart of those who can be good even tothose who have not been so good to them.

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Zen

Two monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary ofthe current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of themonths hesitated, but the other quickly picked her up, carried heracross the river on his shoulders and set her down on the other bank.As the monks continued their journey, one of them unable to hold hissilence, spoke out, ´ Brother, out spiritual training teaches us toavoid any contact with woman, but you picked that one up and carriedher on your shoulders.µ´ Brother,µ replied the second monk, ´ I set her down on the otherside long time back, while you are still carrying her.µYesterday was over yesterday. Life should be a forward progressionand not a backward regression. Save your future from the clutchesof you past.

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Zen

There was a little boy with a bad temper. The master told him tohammer a nail in the back fence every time he lost his temper.Thefirst day, the boy drove 37 nails to the fence. He discovered it waseasier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.Finally, the day came when the boy didn·t lose his temper at all.Now the master suggested that the boy pull out one nail for each

day that he was able to hold his temper. A few days passed and the young boy finally told the master that all the nails were gone.

The master said, ´You have done well my boy, but look at the holesin the fence. The fence will never be the same again.µAnger is the most uncultured and uncivilized way of responding to asituation. Burn anger before anger burns you .

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Zen

There was an old lady whose elder daughter was married to anumbrella seller, and younger daughter to a noodle vendor. On sunnydays, she would worry, ´ Oh no, you cannot dry noodles without thesun.µ As a result, the old lady lived in sorrow everyday.

One day, she met a monk. The monk smiled kindly and said, ´ Madam, you need to change our perspective. On sunny days, think of the younger daughter being able to dry her noodles. When it rains,think about you elder daughter being able to sell umbrellas.µ

Instead of asking ´Why me god? For all your troubles, start asking´Why me god?µ for all your blessing. Count your blessing and never

your troubles.

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Zen

As he was about to sip his tea, the disciple notices a fly in his cup.The master too noticed it and exclaimed, ´ Oh, oh, a fly in the tea!µThe disciple replied, ´ Oh, nothing! Its no problem.µ But the master,with concern written all over his face, rose from his chair anddipped his finger into the tea. With great care, he took theoffending fly out and placed it on the leaf of a bush so its wings

could dry.Then the master turned towards his disciple and said, ´ It wasn·t aquestion of the tea, but the life of the fly. You can always makeanother cup of tea, but the fly wouldn·t have got another momentto live« if we hadn·t acted in time.µ

Use things and love life.D

on·t have things and abuse life.

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Zen

A young man caught a small bird, held it behind his back and asked,´ Master, is the bird I am holding in my hands dead or alive?µ Theboy thought this was a grand opportunity to play a trick on themaster. The master replied, ´ If I were to say ¶dead·, you would letthe bird free into the air.If I were to say ¶alive·, you would simplywring he bird·s neck and show me a dead bird. ´The boy dropped hishead in shame.

The master then added, ´Remember my boy, life and death is in your own hands.µIt is not your intelligence, but it is the direction of yourintelligence that defines our life.

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Zen

A professor who had done his doctorate in Zen went to visit amaster. While the master quietly served tea, the professor talkedand talked about Zen. The master filled the visitors cup to thebrim and continued to pour more tea. The professor watched theoverflowing cup until he could no longer restrain himself. ´ It·s full!No more will go in!µ he blurted.

´ You are like this cup-too full,µ the master replied. ´ How can I teach you anything unless you empty your mind?µNo wonder ¶silent· and ¶listen· have the same alphabets.