Dialogue Between The ONE And The OTHER

Dialogue Between The ONE And The OTHER

Lying in bed one night after studying a book on Zen, my mind reeled as I struggled to grasp the concepts of all that I had read. I understood that Zen is both a philosophy and religion and that it's major purpose is to help the individual deal with the pain of birth and death. Only my mind would not accept that a philosophy that maintains that in an ultimate sense there is nothing to teach and nothing to learn, nothing to seek and nothing to find - could really help anyone. And if this is truly the case, why is there private instruction, why severe training? In deed, why Zen at all? How is it that I had read so much on the matter and still couldn't define what Zen is?

Then after much concentrated effort, when I was finally ready to give up, I sprang out of bed and wrote the following:

The Way And The Monk

Someone said "I have come here seeking answers."
One said "The answer is Zen."
The other asked "What is Zen?"
One said "Zen is a journey without destination."
The other asked "Then why go?"
One said "You have already begun."
The other asked "Which way do I go?"
One said "When you run out of questions you will go
the way that you came."
The other asked "But what of my questions?"
One said "I thought you came here seeking answers."
The other said "I did"
One said "Then if you're done asking questions be on
your way."

The other said "Enough of this non-sense, I have
learned nothing here."
One asked "Have I not answered your questions?"
The other said "You speak in riddles, how would I know?"
One asked "What is it you wish to know?"
The other said "I don't know"
One said "So you'll be staying for supper I suppose."

Zelig X, 94