108 Zen Parables and Stories (Sacred Wisdom Stories)

by Olga Gutsol

“The hunter who chases two rabbits,” answered the master, “catches neither one.”

Everything in this world lives together, as one life, helping and being helped. The monk then saw that any person or situation was just another aspect of himself. Their heart was his heart, their behavior was his behavior, and their pain was his pain.

“When a tree bears fruit generously, its branches bend lower and lower. Just so a true sage is humble. When a tree is fruitless, its branches rise arrogantly higher and higher. Just so a fool always considers himself better than his neighbor.”