Zen Stories

To Go With The Flow:

Taoist story has an old man who by accident fell into the speeding waters of a river that lead to a dangerous waterfall. The people who witnessed the mishap feared for his life. But miraculously to the wonderment of all, the man emerged alive and unscathed, downstream at the bottom of the falls. The astounded crowd asked the old man as to how he survived such an accident. The old wise man said "I accommodated myself to the water and not the water to me. Without giving a thought, I let myself to be shaped by the currents. Plunging into the swirl, I emerged alive with the swirl. This is how I survived."

Maintaining Silence

Four monks decided not utter a word for two weeks in order to indulge in silent meditation. One the very first day by night fall the flame of the candle flickered and went off throwing them into darkness. The first monk voiced out : "Oh, no! The candle is out." The second said : "Aren't we not suppose to talk?"The third followed the second, "Why must you two break the silence?" The fourth laughed and proudly made a statement : "Ha! I'm the only one who didn't speak."

The Self
A man approached a Zen Master in a distraught state. He implored the Master thus : " Master I feel totally lost and desperate. I do not know who I am? I plead you to show me my true self!"The master was nonchalant and did not respond. The man was dismayed and started begging and pleading with the master but of no avail ! The frustrated man, giving up hope, turned to leave when the master called out his name. The man responded "Yes!", spinning around to face the master when he exclaimed "There it is!"