Speaking of lentils
There's a particular zen parable I read once, but now I can't find it again. I'll write it out for you as best I can.
Two Buddhist priests were visiting together over cups of tea. They had not seen one another for many years. The first priest was wealthy because he had made a name for himself among the nobility. By contrast, the second priest had lived a very modest life in a nearby community.
The first priest was dismayed by his old friend's impoverished situation, and sought to advise him. "You don't have to be so poor and so skinny," he said. "If you would only learn to curry favor with the governor, you would not have to make do with lentils."
The second priest simply shook his head and smiled. "If you would only learn to make do with lentils," he replied, "you would not have to curry favor with the governor."
Two Buddhist priests were visiting together over cups of tea. They had not seen one another for many years. The first priest was wealthy because he had made a name for himself among the nobility. By contrast, the second priest had lived a very modest life in a nearby community.
The first priest was dismayed by his old friend's impoverished situation, and sought to advise him. "You don't have to be so poor and so skinny," he said. "If you would only learn to curry favor with the governor, you would not have to make do with lentils."
The second priest simply shook his head and smiled. "If you would only learn to make do with lentils," he replied, "you would not have to curry favor with the governor."