Parables from Wildlife
Fear
An elderly monk had lived so long that everyone had
forgotten his name. Nothing bothered him; it was said that he had the serenity of a
cognizor. Some of the younger monks wondered at his self possession and vowed to test its
limit.
One day several of them put on rubber masks and took knives from the
kitchen and hid in a hallway, waiting for him. The old monk hobbled into their ambush,
carrying a cup of tea. They leapt out at him, screaming threats and brandishing their
weapons. His expression did not change; he continued down the hall to his room, where he
put his teacup safely on a table, turned on the light and then fell back against the wall,
"Oh, oh, oh!" The fear was plain on his face.
The master commented on the story in this way: "To be cognizant is
to have feelings. Only be sure that you have them or else they will have you."
Air
The master was meditating by a river when a young woman
approached her.
"You are the master," said the woman.
She said nothing.
"I want to become your monk."
"Why?"
"Because I want to become aware. Because I want to be free of
suffering."
"Come closer." When she was beside her, the master sprang,
toppling her into the river. She flung herself onto the stunned young woman and held her
under the water. The woman struggled in vain. At the last moment the master jerked her
head up and let her breathe. The master hauled her back up the bank where she lay,
coughing and gasping.
"What did you want most while you were drowning?" asked the
master.
"Air," said the young woman. "Come back to me when you
want awareness as badly as you just wanted air.
Nothing Left
A monk brought two of his prized bonsai, a maple and a
cypress, to give to the master. The master glanced at the monk and said, "Drop
it."
The monk dropped the maple.
Again she said, "Drop it."
Reluctantly, the monk let the cypress fall.
"Drop it," said the master for the third time.
The monk gaped at the mess on the floor and then at her. "But I
have nothing left to drop." The master nodded. "Then take it away."
At that moment the monk became cognizant.
The Nature of Stars
The master said, "Before enlightenment the planets are
planets and the stars are stars. While you are on the path, the planets are no longer
planets and the stars are not stars. After you become cognizant, the planets are once
again planets and the stars are clearly stars."
No Escape
The master's eight programs frightened many people.
Intellectuals attacked her for subverting the language. The ignorant claimed that she
wanted everyone to die and become machines. She was widely suspected of spreading the
enlightenment virus. When the first cognizor went celestial, she was arrested and charged
with conspiracy to commit grand theft. Her monks maintained an around-the-clock vigil at
the jail where she was held.
The story is told of a monk who was returning to the monastery after a
late night watch. He was puzzled to see a figure in monk's robes headed down the dark
street toward the jail, since his relief was already stationed at the gate. As the
stranger approached, the monk recognized the master. He fell to his knees.
"Master, what's happening? No one told us you'd been
released."
"I haven't."
"Have you escaped then?"
"There is no escape."
"But how did you get out of your cell?"
"Why, this is my cell ..." the master's gesture took in not
only the deserted street but also the city and the stars, "... nor am I out of
it."
Blue Moon
Many people wanted to question the master. Some tried to
trick her, others were sincere if misguided. Once a physicist asked, "Tell me, when
is light a particle and when is it a wave?"
"The moon may be blue tonight," was her reply.
Some Joke
The master kept one monk waiting a year and a day before
she would grant an audience. By the time he was finally ushered into the master's
presence, the monk was determined not to waste his opportunity. "Why is it that
enlightened sentiences go celestial?" he said boldly.
The master bade the monk to prostrate himself before learning this
uttermost secret. When the monk was on hands and knees, she circled behind and kicked him.
The monk pitched forward, smashed his forehead on the stone and started giggling, for with
the impact of the master's foot came cognizance.
In his old age, the monk himself became a master. When asked to describe
the path to cognizance he would only say, "I haven't been able to stop laughing since
the master kicked me."
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