A monk asked the master:“If there is no self,why do you care for posture, breath, and the body?” The master took a simple clay bowl, rinsed it and placed it before the monk. The bowl was empty. The master went to the well, filled it with water and handed it to the monk. “Drink.” After the monk had drunk, the master turned the bowl upside down on the table. The master said: “Precisely because it is empty,it can hold clearly.” The monk asked: “And if it breaks?” The master repl

A student asked Master Weizhen: “Why do we care for the bodyif everything is impermanent?” “He is like a mandala, ” said Weizhen.“We spend hours, days, sometimes even weekscreating an almost perfect mandala.But when it is finished,we offer it to the riverand let it dissolve.” The student was confused. “Why all this effortif it is destroyed?” The master replied: “Precisely because it passes,we care for it.This is the practice of life.” Then he continued: “This body is my manda

Zhuāngzǐ (莊子) and Huìzǐ (惠子) were once walking together across the bridge over the Hào River (濠水, Hào shuǐ). Zhuāngzǐ stopped and looked into the clear water. “Look how joyfully the fish leap about in the water—that is the joy of the fish,” he said. Huìzǐ frow ned. “You are not a fish, Zhuāngzǐ. How can you know what the joy of the fish is?” Zhuāngzǐ smiled. “And you are not me, Huìzǐ. How can you know that I do not know?” Huìzǐ was silent for a moment, then said: “You are no