Case I

A well seasoned Buddhist Chan monk visited the old abbot.

Bowing to the abbot, he challenged, " I have the prajna sword of Manjurisi, it cuts through all things in one stroke!"

Not missing a beat, the Old Abbot stuck out his neck. " Whack!" The monk made the motion of chopping off the head.

" Your head is cut off!" laughed the monk. The old abbot just smiled and turned back to his room in silence.

This Chan monk leave the abbot and traveled to another hermitage and boasting to the hermit how he had cut off the old man's head.

" Aya, why are you carrying his head over all this hundred of miles to here!" the hermit responded. Suddenly, the Chan monk awakened and bowed deeply to the direction of the old abbot.

When the old abbot heard about the exchange, he laughed, " why would that busy-body hermit had to revive the monk, I had killed him and let him happily carrying my head in the four direction of the earth, ha! Ha!"

Commentary:

Is it mere act of cruelty that the abbot let the monk carry along his misconception of enlightenment. After all, the monk thought he had the sword of wisdom that can cut off all intellectual conception—the abbot's head. But that very conception of pride and arrogance of one's clarity is the very trap that many students fall into—a clinging to the accumulated knowledge and skills through practice and cultivation.

I have often wonder why the abbot did not plainly pointed out the monk's fault. Then I realized over the last 20 years of teaching, sometime, I met students from another teachers who carried with them the sword of skillfulness and pride. Such person does not have a hair's breath of room to learn. A skillful teacher would then add to his burden of pride by giving him a compliment—aye, what great push hand and fighting skill you have. Now, such student carried with him this heady remark everywhere—ah ha, Master Hon had complimented me on how good my fighting skill is, so I must be very accomplished.

On the contrary, I am pointing to him that is the wrong path to follow. For the path of Tao is not in accumulation but in surrendering and letting go of one's ego, one's fixation of accomplishment. When one is a skillful fighter one is trap in the net of being a fighter—Bruce Lee is a painful example of being a great fighter but trap in the very skill. It was rumor that he went back to challenge his old Kung Fu master, Yep Men.

Teaching in New York City, I have met with diverse group of students from various disciplines: Tibetan Buddhist, Karate teachers, Yogi, dancers, actors, psychologist…so very few of them willing to lay down their sword of achievement, and past experience and start fresh. The first three years would such students are really whittling away all the stuff of their accomplishment. That is painful for the teacher and the students both. But is so necessary.

Case II

A monk traveled a long way to visit the great Chan master Chao Chou. Bowing to the master, Chao Chou asked, " have you eaten yet?"

" Yes, I have eaten." The monk replied.

" then go wash the bowl." Master Chao dismissed the monk.

The monk profoundly awakened, bow deeply to the master and departed. It was all he needed—one step beyond the hundred foot pole.

( Caution: The above statements are not meant as any form of medical advice. They merely serve as informative and educational purposes. If you have a medical problems please consult a qualified medical physician.)

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