Colin

Posted Friday, May 17, 2024

24d

INFJ

Cancer

8

7

The Muddy Road

What lessons can we learn from this story? Once, Tanzan and Ekido traveled down a muddy road. It was raining hard, and the road was slippery. As they walked, they found a young girl in a silk kimono. She stood at the edge of the muddy road, worried about crossing. Without hesitation, Tanzan approached her. He smiled and said, “Come on, girl.” He gently lifted her in his arms and carried her across the mud. He set her down safely on the other side, and she thanked him with a smile. Then Tanzan and Ekido continued their journey. For the rest of the day, Ekido said nothing. But that night, he couldn’t stay quiet. He turned to Tanzan and said, “We monks don’t go near females, especially not young and lovely ones. It’s dangerous. Why did you do that?” Tanzan looked at him kindly and said, “I left the girl there. Are you still carrying her?” -- Zen Koan