Zen Story: A real Zen master meets up with a false one, and sparks start to fly

Tweet

The Buddhist Zen master, Guroi Zeryoshko, was not a true master. In truth, he had been a wealthy merchant, and he had built a Zen temple for himself, and he had appointed himself as the resident Zen master there. One day, a real Zen master, wandered into this temple. He met up with Guroi, and he saw right through him right away. He knew that this was no real Zen master. And yet, he was at least, promoting the way of Zen. The master said to the false master, "The way of Zen is a false way, until we rid ourselves of our own falseness." "Then, it still doesn't become the real way either." "Zen itself is always false, but when two falseness's meet each other, truth might emerge from this clash, as long as it was in the person to begin with." "Smash two stones against each other, and a spark of light will emerge." "When truth emerges from a person, Zen becomes real for them, as much as they still see the falseness in it." "Silence covers over nothing but itself with itself." "Reach through silence to the door of truth, which it is its key." "Do not just transgress by staying inert in the silence, become activated to truth with its key." The false master knew that he had been caught out here, but still, he wanted to show that he at least knew something. He replied, to the real master like this: "Your talkativeness displays not the wordlessness of my Zen." "Oh," said the real master, "It is always dark inside without the light, switched on." and he left. Suddenly, a light went on in the false master's mind. He saw this light, and it enlightened him to the truth of this real master, it was now in him, revealed too, in him, as well. A light shone into the darkness sometimes creates a new lightness there. A lit candle can light an otherwise unlit one, sometimes too. We can all open the doors for each other. We are all connected. The real master saw the love, gave the love, and ignited the love, that is in us all, but often buried in our outer wealth, pomp, and manor, and other pretences too. Any real enlightenment must always start and end with love, and then be maintained by it too. Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com The old Zen master truly walked with a light in his eyes and with love in his heart. Is the picture here of the false, or the real Zen master?