"No man is free who is not master of himself". ~ Epictetus.
Many years ago, during the civil wars in feudal Japan, an invading army would sweep into a town and take control. In one village, everyone had fled long before the army arrived - everyone except the Zen master.
The leader of the army was a respected Samurai warrior who was curious to meet the old man who remained behind when others fled for their lives. When the General was not treated with the deference and submissiveness to which he was accustomed he flew into a rage.
"You old fool" the soldier shouted as he reached for his sword "Don't you realize you are standing before a man who could run you through without blinking an eye?" But despite the threat of certain death the old Zen master seemed unmoved as he responded calmly...
"And do you realize that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?"
The leader of the army was a respected Samurai warrior who was curious to meet the old man who remained behind when others fled for their lives. When the General was not treated with the deference and submissiveness to which he was accustomed he flew into a rage.
"You old fool" the soldier shouted as he reached for his sword "Don't you realize you are standing before a man who could run you through without blinking an eye?" But despite the threat of certain death the old Zen master seemed unmoved as he responded calmly...
"And do you realize that you are standing before a man who can be run through without blinking an eye?"
No comments:
Post a Comment