Teacups

There is perhaps no better known story about Zen than the one about the full teacup.

A Japanese master received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.  The visitor boasted that he came to the master to finish off his studies.

“And what have you learned so far?” the master inquired.

“I’ve read all the poems and heard all the stories,”  the professor stated.  “I’ve learned all the breathing techniques, the hand positions, and the yogas.  I probably know more about Zen than most meditation teachers,” he bragged.  As the professor talked, the master served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.

The professor watched the tea as it filled the tabletop.  Finally he could no longer restrain himself. “It is full,” he exclaimed.  “No more will go in!”

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

Although this is a story that even the most casual acquaintance with meditation will have heard, it is also a lesson that has to be learned over and over.  Teachers, even more than other students, have to be reminded that we, as people, tend to fill our brains with preconceptions.  The more we learn, the more we think we understand.  Unfortunately, it’s often just “book learning” (something memorized, not something experienced).

No matter how many times you describe the color blue to a blind man, he will not know what it looks like.