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31.The Nature of Things
Two monks were washing their bowls in the river when they noticed a scorpion
that was drowning. One monk immediately scooped it up and set it upon the bank.
In the process he was stung. He went back to washing his bowl and again the
scorpion fell in. The monk saved the scorpion and was again stung. The other
monk asked him, "Friend, why do you continue to save the scorpion when you know
it's nature is to sting?"
"Because," the monk replied, "to save it is my nature."
(Another version of this story describes a fox who agrees to carry a scorpion on
its back across a river, upon the condition that the scorpion does not sting
him. But the scorpion does indeed sting the fox when they are in midstream. As
the fox begins to drown, taking the scorpion with him, he pleadingly asks why
the scorpion has jeopardized both of them by stinging. "Because it's my nature."
This story sometimes is attributed to Native Americans lore.)
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32.Nature's Beauty
A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple. He had been
given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs, and trees. Next to the
temple there was another, smaller temple where there lived a very old Zen
master. One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took
extra care in tending to the garden. He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs,
combed the moss, and spent a long time meticulously raking up and carefully
arranging all the dry autumn leaves. As he worked, the old master watched him
with interest from across the wall that separated the temples.
When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work. "Isn't it
beautiful," he called out to the old master. "Yes," replied the old man, "but
there is something missing. Help me over this wall and I'll put it right for
you."
After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow over and set him down.
Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the center of the garden, grabbed it
by the trunk, and shook it. Leaves showered down all over the garden. "There,"
said the old man, "you can put me back now."
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33.No More Questions
Upon meeting a Zen master at a social event, a psychiatrist decided to ask him a
question that had been on his mind. "Exactly how do you help people?" he
inquired.
"I get them where they can't ask any more questions," the Master answered.
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34.Not Dead Yet
The Emperor asked Master Gudo, "What happens to a man of enlightenment after
death?"
"How should I know?" replied Gudo.
"Because you are a master," answered the Emperor.
"Yes sir," said Gudo, "but not a dead one."
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35.Obsessed
Two traveling monks reached a river where they met a young woman. Wary of the
current, she asked if they could carry her across. One of the monks hesitated,
but the other quickly picked her up onto his shoulders, transported her across
the water, and put her down on the other bank. She thanked him and departed.
As the monks continued on their way, the one was brooding and preoccupied.
Unable to hold his silence, he spoke out. "Brother, our spiritual training
teaches us to avoid any contact with women, but you picked that one up on your
shoulders and carried her!"
"Brother," the second monk replied, "I set her down on the other side, while you
are still carrying her."
(some versions of this story describe the monk as carrying the woman across a
mud puddle )
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36.Paradise
Two people are lost in the desert. They are dying from hunger and thirst.
Finally, they come to a high wall. On the other side they can hear the sound of
a waterfall and birds singing. Above, they can see the branches of a lush tree
extending over the top of the wall. Its fruit look delicious.
One of them manages to climb over the wall and disappears down the other side.
The other, instead, returns to the desert to help other lost travelers find
their way to the oasis.
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37.Practice Makes Perfect
A dramatic ballad singer studied under a strict teacher who insisted that he
rehearse day after day, month after month the same passage from the same song,
without being permitted to go any further. Finally, overwhelmed by frustration
and despair, the young man ran off to find another profession. One night,
stopping at an inn, he stumbled upon a recitation contest. Having nothing to
lose, he entered the competition and, of course, sang the one passage that he
knew so well. When he had finished, the sponsor of the contest highly praised
his performance. Despite the student's embarrassed objections, the sponsor
refused to believe that he had just heard a beginner perform. "Tell me," the
sponsor said, "who is your instructor? He must be a great master." The student
later became known as the great performer Koshiji.
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38.The Present Moment
A Japanese warrior was captured by his enemies and thrown into prison. That
night he was unable to sleep because he feared that the next day he would be
interrogated, tortured, and executed. Then the words of his Zen master came to
him, "Tomorrow is not real. It is an illusion. The only reality is now." Heeding
these words, the warrior became peaceful and fell asleep.
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39.Prosperity
A rich man asked a Zen master to write something down that could encourage the
prosperity of his family for years to come. It would be something that the
family could cherish for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master
wrote, "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."
The rich man became angry when he saw the master's work. "I asked you to write
something down that could bring happiness and prosperity to my family. Why do
you give me something depressing like this?"
"If your son should die before you," the master answered, "this would bring
unbearable grief to your family. If your grandson should die before your son,
this also would bring great sorrow. If your family, generation after generation,
disappears in the order I have described, it will be the natural course of life.
This is true happiness and prosperity."
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40.Ritual Cat
When the spiritual teacher and his disciples began their evening meditation, the
cat who lived in the monastery made such noise that it distracted them. So the
teacher ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening practice. Years
later, when the teacher died, the cat continued to be tied up during the
meditation session. And when the cat eventually died, another cat was brought to
the monastery and tied up. Centuries later, learned descendants of the spiritual
teacher wrote scholarly treatises about the religious significance of tying up a
cat for meditation practice.
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