Thursday, June 03, 2004
Qwan Koan
“All that we do, every action we take, is performed within the confines of our space” the master said. The students looked in wonder, and nodded pensively. “How, then, does one create a space in which nothing is possible?” There was a great deal of silence, then one of the students spoke up.
“Master; if one creates a space in which a person has no room, then surely nothing can be done. That is the answer.”
The master nodded, and said “It is a most appealing perspective. Yet how do you prevent the person from thinking about their predicament? For, within their own space, surely this is still possible?”
The student continued: “Then, it is simply a matter of ensuring that the person does not live. In the same space, we need only arrange for their death, and the problem is solved.”
The master said to the student “What you fail to notice is that while it is a final act, death itself is still an action.”
At that time, another student noticed a plant sitting on the table. He lifted it off the table, and dropped it onto the floor. "Look," he said, "I have made a pot in which no plant can live."
The master smiled, and said, "It is just so."
