Just sharing a zen story that I have recently read..
A mind is a powerful tool if you can understand it and learn to use it well. It requires patience and practice to tame your mind, just like any wild thing. I have read an inspiring Zen story in James Khan book about taming the mind which I would like to share with you;
The story goes like this, after winning several archery contests, the young and a boastful champion challenged a Zen master, a skilled archer. The young man demonstrated remarkable technical proficiency when he hit a distant bull’s eye on his first try and then split that arrow with his second shot.
“There,” he said to the old man, “see if you can match that!”
Undisturbed, the master did not draw his bow but rather motioned for the young archer to follow him up the mountain.
Curious about the old fellow’s intentions, the champion followed him high into the mountain until they reached a deep chasm spanned by a rather flimsy and shaky log. Calmly stepping out onto the middle of the unsteady perilous bridge, the old master picked a far away tree as a target, drew his bow, and fired a clean, direct hit.
“Now it is your turn,” he said as he gracefully stepped back onto the safe ground.
The young man kept staring with terror and could not force himself to step out onto the log, no less shoot at a target.
“You have much skill with your bow,” the master said, sensing his challenger’s predicament, “but you have little skill with the mind that let loose the shot.”
**This story is from Sufi and Zen Parables by James Khan
Comments are closed.