Zen Story: A Cup Of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.

Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”

“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

One Reply to “Zen Story: A Cup Of Tea”

  1. What a beautiful way of teaching deep Dhamma, and it is very very practical, rather than the teacher shows his knowledge by preaching, where the student doesn’t understand or able to absorb, as he/she does not get practical knowledge through experiencing. This is like on the job training. Thanks.

Comments are closed.