The master decided to go to church one Sunday. As he sat listening through a rather long sermon, his eyes began to droop and pretty soon he was dozing and began to snore softly.
The preacher was outraged by this behavior, especially since the man was seated in the front row. He came down from the pulpit and shook the sleeper.
“What are you doing?” said the preacher. “You are sleeping through the Word of God! Show some respect!”
“What? Oh, sorry, sir,” said the master sleepily. And with that, he stretched along the entire pew and went back to sleep.
The seeker roamed the land for years in search of a master.
He went through many villages and towns, but they all shook their heads when asked if they knew of any master who lived nearby. Finally, he reached a small village by the side of a mountain. It was so small he almost missed it, and would have missed it had he not heard the the shrill cry of a newborn baby.
He hurried to the village and asked if they knew of a master. The villagers then told him, “Yes, there is one left and he lives in a small cave on the side of this mountain. If you hurry along this path, you may reach him before sunset.”
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The seeker hurried along and reached the cave after a short while.
The master looked up at him and smiled. “Yes?” he said, “How may I help you?”
The seeker asked, “Well, why is it that there are no more masters around? I have searched for years and only now have I found you. Where are all the masters?”
The master closed his eyes for a moment. Then he suddenly opened them wide and shouted, “Seeker!”
“Yes, sir!” the seeker answered in surprise.
The master smiled again, and continued in a whisper, “Where are you?”
“So what have you learned today?” said the master.
“I have learned that all of reality is in my mind.” said the student.
“Really?” said the master.
“Yes,” said the student. “It is my mind that determines what is real and what is not. If I believe in something with all my heart and mind, it becomes real for me. And if I believe that it is not, then it is not.”
“Interesting,” said the master.
“This is why a lot of people are unhappy in the world,” said the student. “Because people believe that they have not attained happiness. They believe that they are imperfect; that they have not reached their goals and dreams. If only people would believe that they have everything they want and need, and have faith as solid as a rock, that goes as deep as the roots of that old tree in the meadow, then there would be peace and happiness in the world.”
“So it’s all in the mind eh?” said the master.
The student nodded.
“Speaking of that old tree over there,” said the master. “Are you saying then that if you believe with your entire heart and mind that it doesn’t exist, then it won’t be there? At least, for you?”
“Yes,” said the student.
“Do something for me then,” said the master. The master led him to a point a short distance away from the tree. “I want you to sit here, face this tree, and focus on believing that there is no tree in front of you. Take as much time as you want until you fully believe in your heart and mind that it doesn’t exist. When you feel that you have that rock solid belief already, I want you to run in a straight path as fast as you can. If you don’t hit the tree, then you can be the master, and I, your student.”
