Zen Story No. 1

The members of a Zen monastery were eating dinner. One of the young students was serving dinner to the others, when he eventually came to the Zen master of the whole monastery. He bowed and served dinner to the master, who was impressed with the student's elegance. The master stood up and asked if he could give the young student a gift. The student bowed and said he would be honored. The Zen master used his chopsticks to pull a hot coal from the grill and gave it to the student. The student grabbed the hot coal with his sleeves to avoid burning his hands. He ran back to the kitchen and disposed of the hot coal in some water.

Then, he changed his clothing, as there were now holes in the sleeves of his old clothes. The student returned to the dining hall and found the Zen master enjoying his meal. The student approached the master and asked him "Master, I would like to give you a gift." The Zen master stood and bowed to his student and said he would be honored to receive a gift. The student pulled out his chopsticks, reached for the grill, and pulled a hot coal and offered it to his master. The master raised his eyebrows, pulled a cigarette from his robes, and used the hot coal to light the cigarette. "Thank you," he said, "This is just what I needed!"

Let me know if you guys want some more Zen stories

 

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