A short koan
Posted on 2006-04-26 at 09:02
A Buddhist master and his pupils were walking through the forest discussing the nature of illusion when they stumbled quite by accident on a old statue of the Gautama Buddha.
The students stared the hoary relic, in awe of it's beauty and age. Then the master spoke. "Look at the relic. What do you see?"
One student said, "I see a great gift from Buddha." and he suggested bringing it back to the temple that it may be used for daily worship.
Another said, "I see a beautiful work of art." and he suggested that it be brought to a museum, where it could be properly safegaurded and enjoyed for years.
Another said, "I see a national treasure." and he suggested that it be given to the government so that the nation may never lose this piece of its heritage.
The master stood silent listening to the answers. After the last student finished, the master pulled a small ax from his belt and walked up to the statue. "Do you want to know what I see?" The students offered an emphatic yes.
At that signal, the master lifted the ax over his head and brought it crashing down on the statue. Again and again, he brought the ax viciously on the buddha, until the statue in a thousand fragments lie and the ax handle itself cracked from the force of his blows. When he was done, he turned to his students---the destroyed relic behind him---and spoke.
"No ax, no Buddha."
The master and the students did not speak as they walked back to the temple.