|
|
 |
 |
 |
| More
Is Not Enough |
|
There
was once a stonecutter who was dissatisfied
with himself and with his position in life.
One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house.
Through the open gateway, he saw many fine
possessions and important visitors. "How
powerful that merchant must be!" thought
the stonecutter. He became very envious and
wished that he could be like the merchant.
To his great surprise, he suddenly became
the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power
than he had ever imagined, but envied and
detested by those less wealthy than himself.
Soon a high official passed by, carried in
a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and
escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone,
no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before
the procession. "How powerful that official
is!" he thought. "I wish that I
could be a high official!"
Then he became the high official, carried
everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair,
feared and hated by the people all around.
It was a hot summer day, so the official felt
very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair.
He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly
in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How
powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I
wish that I could be the sun!"
Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down
on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed
by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black
cloud moved between him and the earth, so
that his light could no longer shine on everything
below. "How powerful that storm cloud
is!" he thought. "I wish that I
could be a cloud!"
Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields
and villages, shouted at by everyone. But
soon he found that he was being pushed away
by some great force, and realized that it
was the wind. "How powerful it is!"
he thought. "I wish that I could be the
wind!"
Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off
the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared
and hated by all below him. But after a while,
he ran up against something that would not
move, no matter how forcefully he blew against
it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful
that rock is!" he thought. "I wish
that I could be a rock!"
Then he became the rock, more powerful than
anything else on earth. But as he stood there,
he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a
chisel into the hard surface, and felt himself
being changed. "What could be more powerful
than I, the rock?" he thought.
He looked down and saw far below him the figure
of a stonecutter.
Source: Zen Fables
For Today |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
Interview
with Student Scott Clark
by Paul Swainson |
 |
|
Spotlight
on Your Dojo
by Paul Swainson |
|
|
Taukauns
Letter to Yagyu
by Paul Swainson |
|
Reiki
- Healing with Love
by Annie
Livings, MICHT |
|
| |
|
 |
|
|
| |
Last
Months Martial Arts Quiz
Results
Thank
you to all those who participated
in last months quiz. Click
here to view
the answers to the quiz. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Download
ZEN Garden
Desktop Wallpaper
This wallpaper features a"poem",
plus a view of a Zen Garden
in the Kodai Temple in Kyoto,
Japan. Click
here |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Zen
Crossword |
 |
|
| Last
Months Crossword Answers |
|
|
|
