The Well-Kept Bowl

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 replied: “Precisely because I do not cling to it, I can use it properly.”

A gust of wind passed through the courtyard.

The bowl fell and shattered.

The monk was startled.

The master bowed.