ABOUT

Zen Parables

Zen is difficult to describe. It is a sect ofBuddhism, but it is less a religion than a formof Buddhist meditative practice. It has no holybook, no ornate church or temple, nocomplicated ritual. Zen monks do not preachsermons about right and wrong behavior.Zen focuses on the inner self, rather thanon the outer self that acts in the world. Yetfor eight hundred years, Zen has stronglyappealed to japanese warriors as well as tomonks, politicians, and artists. Today, it is alsopracticed by people in the East and the Westfrom all walks of lifeand different religionswho wish to find inner peace, relieve stress,and focus on essential priorities.

The Philosophy of ZenThe object of Zen is to free the mind fromeveryday, conventional logic through medita­tion. Followers of Zen believe that meditationempties the mind and suppresses the ego.leading to a clearer understanding of one'sown nature. According to one legend,Bodhldharma, a famous Zen monk, gazed ata blank wall for nine years before achievinginner enlightenment.

Monks and WarriorsOriginating in India and spreading to China.Zen Buddhism was introduced to japan inI 191. Zen monasteries were soon founded inKamakura and Kyoto. During the Kamakuraperiod (I 185-1333). the samurai, feudalwarriors who served the aristocracy, wereattracted to Zen because of its discipline andsimplicity. They applied Zen principles tomartial arts such as archery and fencing.

Virtually every aspect of Japanese culturehas been influenced by Zen. Because monks

Japanese painting of a Zen monk.

drank bitter green tea in order to stay awakeduring meditation. tea drinking grew into anintricate and symbol-laden ritual. The arts alsofelt the impact of Zen. as manifested in theconciseness of haiku poetry (see page 448).Nearly every art form of classical japan­painting, poetry, dance, architecture. drama,and even gardening-has been shaped to somedegree by Zen. with its emphasis on simplicity,self-discipline, and meditation. Even theexpressions of everyday Japanese speechreflect Zen values.

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Zen Parables

Make the ConnectionQuickwriteAs a class, compile a list of familiar storiesthat teach a lesson--perhaps the stories arefrom the Bible or another religious text, orthey may be folk tales you have read orheard from members of your family. Whatlessons do the stories teach! How did youfigure out the lessons! Do any of the storiesshare the same message]

Literary FocusParableParables are brief stories that teach amoral, or lesson, about life. They are oftenallegorical, having both literal and symboliclevels of meaning. The most famous parablesin Western literature are those told byChrist in the New Testament (see page 83) .Christ presents moral lessons in short talesabout everyday events such as a stray sheepor a spendthrift son. Behind the simple storyis a wise lesson about the right way to live.Many Zen stories are also deceptively simpletales that contain profound truths.

A parable is a short, allegorical storythat teaches a moral or religiouslesson about life.

For more on Parables, see the Handbookof Literary and Historical Terms.

BackgroundZen parables were originally used to teachaspiring monks about Buddhism. Therelationship between a Zen monk and histeacher is an extraordinary one. Instead ofimparting knowledge in a clear and logicalway, the Zen master at first deliberatelytries to confuse his students, a tactic thatforces them to abandon preconceived ideas.This technique prepares the students tounderstand the sometimes paradoxical, orcontradictory, nature of truth.

For example, to unsettle his students, amaster may assume a fierce expression anda cold demeanor. He may ask a pupil a ques­tion and then interrupt him halfway throughthe answer. He may pose what appears tobe a ridiculous question, such as "What didyour face look like before you were born?"He may command students to performseemingly impossible tasks like "Pull a birdout of your sleeve." He may also answer aserious question with an absurd response.Ifa pupil asks, "What is the nature of theBuddha!" his master might reply, "Pass methat fan!" or "Pork dumpling!"

Zen masters behave in these ways in partto make students wary of language and con­ventional ways of thinking. Words, accordingto Zen philosophy, can be dangerous, forthey prevent people from experiencing theworld directly as it actually is.

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translated byPaul Reps

Carved statue of a Luohan.Yuan dynasty(c. 1271-1368).

Victoria & Albert Museum. London (A.29-193 I).

ZEN PARABLES

Muddy RoadTanzan and Ekido! were once traveling togetherdown a muddy road. A heavy rain was stillfalling.

Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girlin a silk kimono/ and sash, unable to cross theintersection.

1. Tanzan (tan'zari') and Ekido (e-ke'do).2. kimono n.: wide-sleeved robe, fastened with a sash;

part of the traditional costume for men and womenin Japan.

"Come on, girl," said Tanzan at once. Liftingher in his arms, he carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that nightwhen they reached a lodging temple. Then he nolonger could restrain himself. "We monks don'tgo near females," he told Tanzan, "especially notyoung and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why didyou do that?"

"I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are youstill carrying her?"

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Dragon andTiger by Chao Kyoshi. Detail of a multi-panelscreen. Edo period (19th century).

A ParableBuddha told a parable in a sutra'

A man traveling across a field encountered atiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to aprecipice, he caught hold of the root of a wildvine and swung himself down over the edge. Thetiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, theman looked down to where, far below, anothertiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vinesustained him.

Two mice, one white and one black, littleby little started to gnaw away the vine. Theman saw a luscious strawberry near him.Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked thestrawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!

3. sutra (soo'tr;) ) 11. : one of a collection ofstories that describe the teachings of theBuddha .

The ThiefWho Became a DiscipleOne evening as Shichiri Kojun " was recitingsutras a thief with a sharp sword entered,demanding either his money or his life.

Shichiri told him: "Do not disturb me. Youcan find the money in that drawer." Then heresumed his recitation.

A little while afterwards he stopped andcalled: "Don't take it all. I need some to paytaxes with tomorrow."

The intruder gathered up most of the moneyand started to leave. "Thank a person when youreceive a gift," Shichiri added. The man thankedhim and made off.

A few days afterwards the fellow was caughtand confessed, among others, the offense againstShichiri. When Shichiri was called as a witnesshe said: "This man is no thief, at least as far as Iam concerned. I gave him the money and hethanked me for it."

After he had finished his prison term, theman went to Shichiri and became his disciple.

The Taste of Banzo's SwordMatajuro Yagyu'' was the son of a famousswordsman. His father, believing that his son'swork was too mediocre to anticipate mastership,disowned him.

So Matajuro went to Mount Futara? andthere found the famous swordsman Banzo.?But Banza confirmed the father's judgment."You wish to learn swordsmanship under myguidance?" asked Banzo. "You cannot fulfillthe requirements."

"But if! work hard, how many years will ittake me to become a master?" persisted the youth.

"The rest ofyour life," replied Banza."I cannot wait that long," explained Mata­

jura. "I am willing to pass through any hardshipif only you will teach me. If I become yourdevoted servant, how long might it be?"

4. Shichiri Kojun (she-die ' re ko'jan).5. Matajuro Yagyu (ma-ta-jon' ro yag'oo).6. Mount Futara (foo·ta'ra).7. Banzo (ban'zo).

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Combat ofSamurai Warriors by Utagawa Hiroshige. Edo period (19th century) .

Musee des Arts Asiatiques-Guimet , Paris.

"Oh, maybe ten years," Banzo relented."My father is getting old, and soon I must take

care ofhim," continued Matajuro. "If I work farmore intensively, how long would it take me?"

"Oh, maybe thirty years," said Banzo,"Why is that?" asked Matajuro. "First you say

ten and now thirty years. I will undergo anyhardship to master this art in the shortest time!"

"Well," said Banzo, "in that case you will haveto remain with me for seventy years. A man insuch a hurry as you are to get results seldomlearns quickly."

"Very well," declared the youth, understand­ing at last that he was being rebuked forimpatience, "I agree."

Matajuro was told never to speak of fencingand never to touch a sword. He cooked for hismaster, washed the dishes, made his bed,

cleaned the yard, cared for the garden , allwithout a word of swordsmanship.

Three years passed. Still Matajuro labored on.Thinking of his future, he was sad. He had noteven begun to learn the art to which he haddevoted his life.

But one day Banzo crept up behind him andgave him a terrific blow with a wooden sword.

The following day, when Matajuro wascooking rice, Banzo again sprang upon himunexpectedly.

After that, day and night, Matajuro had todefend himself from unexpected thrusts. Not amoment passed in any day that he did not haveto think of the taste ofBanzo's sword.

He learned so rapidly he brought smiles tothe face of his master. Matajuro became thegreatest swordsman in the land.

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CONNECTION to ZEN PARABLES

Zen Garden's Calming EffectDue to Subliminal Image?Hillary Mayell

National Geographic News, September 25, 2002

[ INFORMATIONAL TEXT )

It's the kind of thing you simply have toexperience for yourself. Otherwise, the Zen

rock garden of the Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto,Japan, a United Nations World Heritage site,simply defies the imagination.

The garden, after all, has no plants-noflowers, no trees, not even any weeds.

It's a 30- by 10-meter (roughly 98- by32-foot) rectangle surrounded by earthenwalls on three sides and a wooden veranda1

on the fourth. Inside the rectangle is a vistaof white pebbles and 15 rocks. And it is worldfamous for the peace and serenity anyone andeveryone who visits it feels.

Visual-imaging scientists in Japan saythey've figured out what it is about the gardenthat engenders/ this serenity. The secret: Themore than 500-year-old garden is harboring asubliminal.' message in the form of a tree.

Zen, Meditation, andRock GardensThe Ryoanji Temple (Temple of the PeacefulDragon) is a Zen place of worship and medita­tion first built sometime during the 1450s. Itburned when most of Kyoto was leveled by fireduring the Onin Wars, and was rebuilt in 1486.The rock garden, which fronts the abbot's?

1. veranda (vo-ran'da) 11.: porch with a roof.2. engenders (en-jeri'darz) v.:causes.3. subliminal (sub-lim 'a-nol) adj. : meant to affect

on e's subconscious.4. abbot (ab 'ot) n.:head of a monastery.

quarters, was laid out around this time as aplace for the monks to meditate.

Thought by many to be the quintessences ofZen art , the garden is in the dry landscape stylecalled Karesansui ("withered landscape").

The garden 's 15 rocks are of various sizes,placed in five separate groupings. The whitegravel that surrounds them is raked every day;perfect circles around the rocks, perfectlystraight lines in the rest of the space. The rocksare arranged so that no matter where a visitorstands, only 14 can be seen. It is said that onlywhen you attain spiritual enlightenment as aresult of Zen meditation will you see the 15thstone.

Over the centuries, various explanations forthe garden 's layout have been given: That thewhite gravel represents the ocean and the rocksthe islands of Japan; that they represent amother tiger and her cubs, swimming in theriver of the white sand toward a fearfuldragon; or that the rocks represent the Chinesesymbol for "heart" or "mind."

Unconscious EyeHowever, it's the empty space created by theplacement of the rocks and the void created bythe white gravel that has long intrigued visitors.

Now the mystery may have been resolved.Gert van Tonder, a postdoctoral fellow of the

Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science

5. quintessence (kwin-tes'ans) n.: perfect example ofa thing.

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Rock garden at Ryoanji Temple, Kyoto.

at Kyoto University, and Michael J. Lyons, asenior scientist at ATR Media Information Labsin Kyoto, applied a shape-analysis techniquethat can reveal hidden structural features to thegarden's em pty space.

Earli er stud ies of how humans and otherprimates process visual images suggest that wehave an unconscious sensitivity to the medialaxis of sha pes, said van Tonder.

"Im agine starting two fires in a field of drygrass:' he said . "Where the fires meet, at pointsequidistant between the two sta rting locations,is the m edi al axis."

His analysis indicates that the same uncon­scious sensi tivity is able to d iscern the image ofa trunk and branches of a tree within the Zengarden's pattern of rocks and stones. Viewedfrom the veranda, th e image is apparent to the

subconscious but is invisible to th e eye.The authors conclude in a report published

in the September 26 issue of the journal Naturethat the unconscious perception of this patternis the sour ce of the gard en's calming effect.

If the rocks were to be rearranged, the invis­ible tree structure is lost , they say.

Van Tonder believes the garden's designerintended to create the subliminal feature­demonstrating an understanding of thephysics of the human eye and subconscioushundreds of years ago .

n According to the article , what might be theU "secr et" beh ind the calming effect of theZen garden at Ryoanji Temple? How does thewriter of this article use details to help youunde rstand the layout of the Zen garden?

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Response and Analysis •

INTERNET

Projects andActivitiesKeyword:LE5 WL-3

Literary SkillsAnalyze

parables.

Writing SkillsWrite a parable.

Listening andSpeaking

SkillsAct out aparable.

Reading CheckI. Who are Tanzan and Ekido? For what

does Ekido criticize Tanzan in "MuddyRoad"?

2. Name all the dangers that the man in "AParable" faces.

3. In "The Thief Who Became a Disciple,"what does Shichiri testify in court?

4. In "The Taste of Banzo's Sword," whydoes Matajuro become sad working withthe master Banzo?

Thinking Critically5. In "Muddy Road," what does Tanzan

mean when he asks Ekido if he is stillcarrying the girl?

6. In "A Parable," what might the precipice,the tigers , and the mice symbolize, orstand for? What is the significance of theman eating the strawberry? What lessonabout life do you think this parableteaches?

7. Why do you think the thief becomes thedisciple of Shichiri Kojun?What valuesdoes this parable teach?

8. Describe Banzo's unconventional teach­ing methods. What do you think he isteaching Matajuro about the art ofswordsmanship?

Extending and Evaluating9. Are any ofthe lessons in these Zen

parables similar to lessons in stories thatyou know? Review the list you made foryour Quickwrite response.

WRITINGWriting a Parable

Many Zen parables contain a paradox, orapparent contradiction that is actually true.Think about how a seeming contradictioncan ultimately prove true. Then, write abrief parable of your own about one of thefollowing paradoxical situations:

• a competition that is won through losing

• a person who becomes rich by givingsomething away

• an enemy who becomes a friend when heor she is trusted

• a difficult task that becomes easy once aperson stops trying so hard

• a scary situation that changes when aperson stops feeling fear

LISTENING AND SPEAKINGActing Out a Parable

Pair off with another student, and adapt oneof the Zen parables you 've just read to amodern setting and situation without losingits moral. For instance, you could adapt "TheTaste of Banzo's Sword" by making Banzoa basketball coach who teaches his studentsby throwing balls at them when they leastexpect it. Then, with your partner, create ascript for your dramatization, and act outyour parable for the class.

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