The Old Monk and the Angry Student

A young student came to his Chan master, burning with anger.

“Master! I’ve been watching another student—he constantly shows off, boasts, and speaks nonsense! I can’t tolerate it any longer! I must tell him the truth and set him straight!”

The Chan master looked at him calmly and said:

“When you encounter a barking dog—do you bark back?”

The student frowned. “Of course not…”

The master closed his eyes for a moment, then said:“If you let the barking pull you out of your center, it is not the dog who has lost—it is you.”

“But… should I just let it all go?” the student asked.

The master stood up, walked slowly to a tree, laid his hand on its trunk, and said:“The tree does not resist the wind—but it bends. And because it bends, it remains whole.”

The student was silent.

The master continued:“Sometimes, it is right to speak. Sometimes, it is wiser to remain silent. But never act from mere impulse—act from your center.”

Then he turned toward the forest and said casually, almost in passing:

“Stay in your own center, follow the natural Way—but with awareness, not blindly.”