Zen students spend at least ten years with a teacher before they decide to teach others. One day, Tenno, who had already completed his apprenticeship and became a teacher, came to visit Nan In. It was raining, so the Tenno put on wooden shoes and took an umbrella.
After greeting, Nan Ying remarked:
-You, I believe, left your shoes in the hallway. I would like to know where your umbrella is now - to the right of your shoes or to the left?
Having hesitated, the Tenno was unable to respond to the phase. He realized that he was not embodying Zen in every moment. He became Nan Ying's student and studied for another six years to achieve every moment of Zen.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru