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ZEN TALE
The Cat's Discourse
Not so long ago, in a town not so far away, in a house like yours, there lived a rat
like no other. Although his appearance was in every way ordinary, his attitude
was bizarre.
It all started when, as a baby rat, his mother explained that it was, alas, the
destiny of all their kind to be hunted, and probably one day killed, by a cat.
Nothing doing, he had thought, that's no life for me. No indeed, but what on earth
could be done about this lamentable state of affairs?
He thought and thought but there seemed to be nothing for it, until one day, he
had a startling idea. So simple, but so original that it might just work. In any case,
it was worth trying, even if he lost his life in the attempt, he said to himself,
because the life of a hunted rat wasn't worth living.
Although he was frightened, badly frightened, he screwed up all his courage and
when the cat next appeared, he ran as fast as he could; not away, but directly at
the cat! ''Bonzai!!!'' he screamed waving his arms and baring his teeth menacingly.
For a long instant his pounding heart was in his mouth, would it work, or had he
simply switched to the fast lane on the way of all rats?
For his part, the cat couldn't believe his ears or his eyes, was he dreaming?
Never, no never had he even heard of such outlandish behavior. Was this rat out
of his mind, didn't he know he was supposed to be chased by the cat, and not
contrariwise? Apparently not. He must be mad, perhaps even infected with
something! This was an EMERGENCY (!) and the only solution was to run for
your life. And that is exactly what he did, right up the trouser leg and into the arms
of his astonished owner.
And so it went day after day, week after week until the hunted cat collapsed from
nervous exhaustion and had to be taken to the S.P.C.A. refuge.
The news spread quickly throughout the neighborhood; people talked of little
else. No one had ever heard of such a thing. What was to be done? One thing
was sure, each cat owner was convinced that their pet could rapidly give this
crazy rat the lesson he so richly deserved.
So, one after the other, they brought their felines to restore the honor of their
race. And, one after the other, they retired in ignominious defeat. Every cat
worthy of the name thereabouts had had his chance, without success. The
situation seemed desperate.
When, one day, there was a knock on the door of the excentric rat's house. An
unassuming little man explained that the exploits of their rat had reached his ears
at the other end of the town and he was sure that his cat was the solution.
And so it was on the appointed day that all the cats in the neighborhood were
gathered at the scene of their humiliation eager to witness their collective revenge.
What sort of cat was their last hope? Speculation ran rampant among them. Big
as a tiger, young, strong and fearless, some ventured. The others solemnly
agreed, and ferocious too with eyes that flashed lightning and claws and fangs of
terrible proportions, they added. Just as their imaginings had reached its height
there was a knock at the door and all eyes turned to catch the first glimpse of
their hero.
The stage was set, several dozen of the loser cats were gathered in a semi-circle around
the corner of the room where their common enemy was swaggering and smurking outrageously. As they heard the new challener approach, they
instinctively drew aside freeing a corridor directly to the rat's corner.
And then as their champion entered the room, a dumbfounded silence fell over
the scene. Could this be their savior, on whom their last hopes hung? Their
stupefection gave way to derision. A giant, powerful, tiger of a cat this!?! Before
their mocking giggles stood an old, small, weak and very ugly female cat. Her
coat was dull and covered with scars, her stance was nonchalant. But above all
she seemed totally unaware of the enormous responsibility she bore. In fact,
although her eyes were open, they seemed sightless like a sleep-walker,
unconscious of the stressful situation.
But then, slowly and deliberately without the slightest apparent effort, she
laconically glided forward. One-two-three-four her paws silently touched the
floor, one-two-three-four with the regularity of a metronome she advanced
straight toward the rat. The giggling ceased and an awsome hush fell over the
gathering.
For his part the rat, although continuing his antics, was observing the cat's
approach with increasing curiosity. Although her eyes were open, and looking
directly at him, she was completely impervious to the insulting nature of his
gestures. He thumbed his nose and waggled his tongue as vigorously as ever he
had, but without the slightest effect.
The cat continued to advance, slowly but steadily as though in a dream, her
thoughts seemed to be elsewhere. But her uncanny purposelessness hid a terrible
efficacy.
Suddenly the rat stopped his vain tentative of mystification. He had realized that
his designs had been drawn on thin air; that he had been playing before an empty
theatre. His adversary had not taken notice of his spectacle. His realization had
however come too late and he found himself literally cornered. Petrified with fear,
an involuntary scream escaped from his tiny throat.
The cat was upon him! Almost casually she bent down and seized him by the
nape of the neck. ''Crack'' it went and he fell dead at her feet, executed by a
whip-like gesture. For a long moment, as she sat down and commenced her
toilet, time seemed to stop silent in its tracks.
But then a low murmur started in the back of the room, growing louder like an
ocean wave as it moved forward, finally to break with a roar of approval, at the
cat's feet. ''What marvellously effortless technique'' they all meowed in unison,
''please tell us your secret!'' But she seemed not to hear, and continued her
ablutions, interrupted only by long, lazy yawns. Again and again they implored
''Tell us your secret!''.
Then, taking note of the admiring crowd around her for the first time, she spoke:
''Dear sisters and brothers, fellow cats'', she entoned quietly, ''my only secret is
that I have no secret at all. My technique is not a technique for killing rats, but for
living life. It applies to everything and is born of experience. This is how I
discovered it. While still a small kitten, I was one day sitting by the window,
sunning myself when suddenly my mother aroused me, asking: 'a penny for your
thoughts'. I couldn't obtain that penny because I had no thoughts to sell. All I
remembered was that it has been completely satisfying just to be. So much so
that the sound of her voice had been an unwelcomed interruption. As I thought
about it, I had a revelation that was to completely change my life.
Now, it seems so simple and obvious because it has become not second, but first
nature for me. As such it has permitted me to live my life in a state of complete
and perfect satisfaction, arising to each occasion and accomplishing, without
conscious effort, what was required.
What was that discovery? It was simply that my mind was by nature empty. And
this naturally empty mind was perfectly satisfying. That this perfect satisfaction
was always there for me to enjoy, because it was my own nature. It was the
source of my intense sense of satisfaction, before my mother had called.
The true nature of all of us is like a bucket without a bottom. Thus each thought
naturally passes through our minds without leaving a trace. It is normal and
correct that it should be so. However, because we are unaware of this, our
fundamental, naturally occurring buddha nature, we fail to recognize it.
Because of this failure we attempt to keep our minds occupied, by incessantly
recycling our thoughts. As a result our naturally empty and therefore transparent
minds become opaque.
Thus you see, dear sisters and brothers, why your opaque minds offered a screen
upon which the rat could project his mystifications. In contrast, my empty and
therefore transparent mind simply didn't register his antics, which thus became
totally ineffective.
This then is my only ''secret'', which I have shared with you. Now you realize that
it is not a question of transforming your minds, but of discovering its true nature.
You can do this, just as I did, by observing its functioning. You will discover, as I
did, that it is naturally empty, and therefore naturally satisfied, accepting each new
circumstance with equanimity.
If you wish to gain access to this state of mind, your passport is observing your
mental functioning by meditation. Through this process you will gain new insights
into the real nature of your minds and, through it, the universe.
Although acquiring this skill requires a real application of time and effort to
reverse lifelong habits, the reward justifies the investment. You will become
indomitable cats!''
This having ended her discourse, she lazily stretched herself and sauntered out of
the room, leaving her wondering audience to contemplate her words. |
