Image source: Instagram - Maybe
Once upon a time, there was a Chinese farmer who lost a horse. It ran away.
And all the neighbours came around that evening, and said, "That's too bad."
And he said, "Maybe".
The next day, the horse came back, and brought back seven wild horses with it.
And all the neighbouts came around that evening, and said, "Why that's great isn't it?"
And he said, "Maybe".
The next day, his son, while trying to tame one of the wild horses, fell down and broke his leg.
And all the neighbours came around that evening, and said, "Well that's too bad, isn't it?"
And he said, "Maybe".
The next day, the conscription officers came around, looking for new recruits for the army.
And they rejected his son because he had a broken leg.
And all the neighbours came around that evening, and said, "Isn't that wonderful?"
And he said, "Maybe".
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The entire process of Nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it is really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad.
Because you'll never know what will be the consequences of a misfortune, and you'll never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.
So relax, accept, observe and keep going.
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Zen literature is full of such short and meaningful little stories. In fact, for the most part, the essence of Zen is imparted via such stories and anecdotes. And there is really no other way to contain all of what Zen is in any textbook or a discourse.
If this story hit home, and you feel like you want to explore more of what Zen is all about, there is a great book that people like Alan Watts and Osho used to rave about as being the best book on Zen ever. I know I just mentioned that the essence of Zen cannot be contained in a book but Alas, words are all we have.
So this book goes by the name Zen flesh, Zen bones and is compiled by one Paul Reps. The book is a very tiny little book, a total of 150-odd pages only, and its first section is titled '101 Zen stories'. Almost all of these stories are as short as the one above, and almost all of them would hit home like this one did.
Give it a go once, I'm pretty sure you'll like it if you liked this particular story.
In all honesty, I prefer having personal chats rather than back and forth in the comments' section. If you feel like you want to have discussion with me regarding the content on my blog or anything else, please connect with me on my Instagram here: Chetan Narang - Instagram
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