by brinstar » Thu Jan 27, 2005 3:05 am
A learned scholar once visited with a Zen master because he was curious to know more about Zen. However, when he arrived for tea, the scholar began to speak at length on the ideas he had about Zen in general. The Zen master sat quietly and sipped his tea. He listened for a long time as the scholar spoke. After a while, he noticed that the scholar had run out of tea, so the Zen master began to pour him more as the scholar continued to speak. To the scholar's alarm, the Zen master kept pouring tea, even though the tea was running over the lip of the bowl and all over the table. With a surprised shout, the scholar jumped up and asked wildly, "What are you doing?" The Zen master stopped pouring, smiled, and said "Like this cup, you are full of your own ideas. How can I teach unless you first empty your cup?"
compost the rich