Hola
YE YE
LuvSic <3
"It was easier for Hitler to start World War II than it was for him to face a blank square of canvas."
"Are you paralyzed with fear? That's a good sign. Fear is good. Like self-doubt, fear is an indicator. Fear tells us what we have to do. Remember our rule of thumb: The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it."
One day a samurai visited the great Zen teacher, Haku-in. “My question is this: does paradise exist? Does hell exist?” asked the warrior.
Haku-in looked him up and down. “Who wants to know?” he said in a bored voice.
The samurai glared, very indignant. “I am a samurai! I protect the Shogun.”
“Really? You don’t seem that impressive, frankly.”
“What?” The warrior unsheathed his sword. “How dare you insult me!”
Haku-in glanced at the sword. “I doubt you can slice a melon with that, let alone cut off my head.”
With a cry of fury, the samurai raised the blade high.
“Behold! The gate of hell is opened,” Haku-in said.
In that moment, the warrior recognized the lesson the brave master was teaching, and replaced his sword in its scabbard.
“Behold, “ said Haku-in. “Now opens the gate to paradise.”
Long ago in China, a young man set his heart on becoming a master jade carver. Fired with enthusiasm, he went to the greatest jade carver in the land and asked to become his student. The master agreed, and placed a piece of jade in the young man's hand. "Please sit, we can begin right away."
The young man eagerly sat with the stone in his hand, his gaze on the teacher. "Please tell me everything you know about jade."
Nodding, the old man began to tell a long and rambling story about his own youth, and the student waited patiently for the lesson to begin. The story was actually a bit boring in parts, and the student clenched the jade in his hand to curb his impatience while the old man went on and on. At last, the master said, "Oh, it is late. You must come back tomorrow."
The next day the student came again, and the master handed him another piece of jade. "Here, take a seat. Let us begin." Now I will learn everything about jade! the student said to himself. But to his great disappointment, the master carver launched into another long story. The student tried very hard to focus on this story, sure that at any moment it was going to get to the point. But again, the master interrupted his own story and said, "Oh dear. It's time for dinner. Come back tomorrow."
Day after day this went on, with the teacher handing the student yet another piece of stone. Every day the student listened with his whole heart, trying to understand how these stories were teaching him everything about jade while he held one stone after another in his hands. He grew discouraged, thinking he had made a terrible mistake. At last, after this had gone on for many months, he arrived at his teacher's house and said, "Master, forgive me, but when will you teach me about jade?"
The jade carver picked up yet another piece of stone and tossed it to the young man, who caught it deftly in two hands. "Now, this piece of jade -" the master began.
"This is not jade," said the student, who had not even opened his hands to look at the stone.
The teacher nodded. "Ah, I see I have now taught you everything I know."
