Monday 28 May 2012

BoSt Galleries-Realism 2











In Dreamland
A disciple of Soyen Shaku once related how his schoolmaster used to take regular naps every afternoon and, when a curious pupil once asked the master why he had this repose in midday, he was told, “I go to dreamland to meet ancient sages like Confucius. When Confucius slept, he would dream of the sages and later tell his followers about them.”
It so happened that one a real scorcher of a day some of the pupils, unable to help themselves, took a nap under a huge and ancient tree where they benefited from the delightful breeze. The schoolmaster, chancing upon them, scolded them for being lax in their duties.
“We went to dreamland, the same as Confucius did, to meet the ancient sages.” a few of them protested.
“I see,” The master pursed his lips. “What was the message from those sages?” he called their bluff.
The bravest of the bunch responded with a serious demeanor, “When we were in dreamland we asked the sages how well they knew you since, according to your claim, you visited them every afternoon. Oddly enough they said that they had never seen any such fellow.”

Zen Story

No comments:

Post a Comment