ZEN STORIES

There were two priests travelling together. One was old and the other young. On the way, they came across a shallow river. A young ravishingly beautiful lady was sitting by the side, waiting for help to cross the river. The old priest without hesitation lifted her up in his arms and carried her over the river. Seeing this, the young priest was much agitated. Once on the other side, he rebuked the elder, questioning his morals, values, etc. This went on frequently, every half an hour. Finally, after two hours of putting up with this, the elderly priest remarked: " Son, I have lifted her down back at the riverside , why are you still carrying her?"
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There was once this very successful business tycoon, who yearned for more knowledge. He was told to consult a Zen master who resided on the top of a hill. The tycoon set out in quest for the ZenMaster. On reaching the top, he was invited inside the cave of the Zen master. The latter asked one of his disciples to serve tea. As the disciple kept on pouring tea into the cup, the tycoon blurted out: "Oh master, ask him to stop, or else the tea will spill over. "

The Zen master smiled, and replied : "Son, this is your first lesson. In order to learn something new, you need to do away with the old, or else there will be no place for new ideas!"
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There was a very famous Zen master to whom pupils came from far and wide. One day a very young lad came from a very unknown village. He was zapped with the depth of discussions going on all around. After four days, he could take it no longer. He went to the master and asked for direction / guidance. The master took him inside the house. The pupil saw a bell. The master hit the bell with a small flip of the fingers. There was a small ping like sound. Then the master hit the bell with a large hammer. There was a large booming sound which reverberated far and wide. The master remarked : Son , this is truth. You ask a small question, the world gives you a small answer. You ask a really significant question, only then can you expect the world to give you a relevant answer. "