Zen tale: The cat bests the Zen master

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The Zen master, Dozen Doshen, was riding his bicycle along the road, when a cat run out in front of him. He swerved to miss it, and he fell off his bicycle, and he scratched his hands, and knees, a bit too. He said, "I was cat-free, until I caught a cat, but to be cat-free again, I must become more observantly awake, and open to a cat crossing my path like this." "I must master more my zen, as that cat mastered me here." "Zen is not to be found in certain locations, but it can be lost in certain locations, it seems." "I must not lose my Zen, at any time, from here on in," he said to himself now. "I must keep listening to the inner sound of Zen, and not be distracted by the outer sounds of life." Just then, another Zen master walking by, who had seen the whole incident, remarked dryly. "What is the sound of Zen?" Then, he laughed loudly, and walked on. Photo Credit: The photo used in this article was sourced from the free media site, pixabay.com The cat bested the Zen master, who took a fall from his bike.