Zen koan: What does a net catch if it is not our own net? Nothing!
By emptychair
@innertalks (23744)
Australia
July 27, 2022 11:30pm CST
The old Zen master, Walfur Jospekle, always gave a talk to his students, outside of the temple, in the grounds of the temple, at 6 pm every night, just before they would then gather together for their evening meal.
He noticed that an old woman used to stand at the gate, which was not far from where he was speaking, and listen in to what he was saying too, every night.
The master went up to her one night, and he said to her:
"Are you catching anything in your net?"
She looked up at him queerly, and replied:
"I am not using my net, but succouring at the fish, jumping in your net."
The master took a step back, and then two steps forwards.
"How far have I moved forwards towards you?"
he asked her.
"Why only one step, of course,"
she answered him.
He smiled, and said:
"No, I have moved three steps away from you."
"You are now:"
"One step away from yourself, one step away from me, and one step away from the truth."
"And so, I am three steps away from you."
"And, when you fish in my nets, without casting your own net out too, you step even further away from yourself then too."
"Stop holding your own truth back. It is already in your net."
Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com
We need to be our self, and not look for our fish in other's nets instead. We will never find our own fish in there.
3 people like this
3 responses
@misunderstood_zombie (8765)
• United States
31 Jul 22
I agree with this. People need to stop looking to others for their self worth, and for their example. We should just worry about ourselves. I like the fishing net reference because it reminds me of Jesus telling his disciples to "come with me and I will make you fishers of men."
2 people like this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
31 Jul 22
Yes, Jesus Christ used the idea of fishing a few times in his ministry, even choosing fish, to be used, in some of his miracles too.
We need also to put our soul first, and not our earthly life.
We should not use our life to build up material wealth, and to accumulate wealth hoards, and earthly riches.
We should rather build our spiritual wealth within, as we never do know when God will call our soul home, as one of Jesus's parables told us too.
2 people like this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
28 Jul 22
No, there is nothing wrong with that, it is good to learn what we can from others, and she did like to listen to the Zen master's wisdom.
The Zen master knew though, that she was close to enlightenment herself, but she had become addicted/attached to just listening for the pleasure of listening.
He wanted her to step back inside herself, to be herself, and to realise that nobody can become enlightened for us; we need to do that for ourselves.
That's why he gave her that koan.
She answered it literally, rationally, but he answered it for her abstractly, with a leap away from rationality, which Zen tries to get us to do, to reach beyond ourselves into a greater wisdom, that is there in our hearts to live from, when we do not just live in our minds, and being contented with that.
@Shiva49 (28394)
• Singapore
28 Jul 22
In a way, we should practice what we feel is right than just admire others doing do.
This world is such we keep appreciating without putting into practice what is right with a feeling it is out of our bounds.
Spending some time at places of worship is more of a jaunt then and skin deep.
The gist is already in our nets too all the time.
This predicament is the bane of our world now.
We need to step away from our hypocrisy.
1 person likes this
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
28 Jul 22
Reading scripturally inspired works, going to Holy places, still has relevance though, and can attune us deeper to our inner selves, like a tuning fork does to other tuning forks, sometimes too, though.
Yes, we do have what it takes already, within us, but usually, it is in seed form, and as a potential only.
(Unless we are born already developed as Mozart, undoubtedly already was too)
We need to develop that, understand our growth, and grow wisdom from doing so.
A seed, on its own, has no wisdom yet, in it, as such, and will stay on its shelf, until it transforms itself into its real self, which was only potentially alive within it before.
@innertalks (23744)
• Australia
30 Jul 22
@Shiva49 In the long run though, a life a little harder, but which gives us some progress in knowledge gain, and wisdom, and moves us closer to the truth, must be worth it in the end.
@Shiva49 (28394)
• Singapore
29 Jul 22
@innertalks Yes, the outside noise is getting worse and it takes wisdom to get our priorities right. We need constant reassurances so that we stay the course on what is right.
Now, we skim the surface and are soon back to our beaten path of all that glitter, flatter, only to deceive in the end.
To pursue the path that we know we have to take does not come easy.
1 person likes this
