Monday, March 7, 2011

Zen and the Art of Bicycle Riding

(Taken from the May/June 1989 Utne Reader, which took this from Shawn Gosieski, New Cyclist, Fall 1988.)

A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and had dismounted, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?"

The first student replied, "The bicycle is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that I do not have to carry them on my back!" The teacher praised the first student, "You are a smart boy! When you grow old, you will not walk hunched over like I do."

The second student replied, "I love to watch the trees and fields pass by as I roll down the path!" The teacher commended the second student, "Your eyes are open, and you see the world."

The third student replied, "When I ride my bicycle, I am content to chant nam myoho renge kyo." The teacher gave praise to the third student, "Your mind will roll with the ease of a newly trued wheel."

The fourth student replied, "Riding my bicycle, I live in harmony with all sentient beings." The teacher was pleased, and said to the fourth student, "You are riding on the golden path of non-harming."

The fifth student replied, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle." The teacher sat at the feet of the fifth student and said, "I am your student!" 
Posted by at

17 comments:

  1. DaleJune 19, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    i comment to comment. =)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJune 21, 2011 at 11:08 PM

    I tautology.

    ReplyDelete
  3. edwardAugust 4, 2014 at 12:28 PM

    Simple but meaningful words, that. More people in Sydney need to learn how to enjoy life and do things just because they want to and stop overthinking! That's going to be my new catch phrase I think!

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownOctober 19, 2017 at 4:17 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownOctober 28, 2017 at 4:51 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. CyclatoJune 4, 2019 at 9:12 AM

    Cyclato For Beginners A Complete Guide To Cycling

    ReplyDelete
  7. mtomOctober 23, 2019 at 1:16 AM

    A food cart is a mobile kitchen set up on the street to prepare and sell street food to passers-by. Food carts are often found in cities worldwide selling food of every kind. ... Some food carts are towed by another vehicle, while some are pushed by a human or animal. more detail about food cart so visit our site https://www.jxcycles.com/food-carts/

    ReplyDelete
  8. nickmiddleton010February 5, 2020 at 11:55 PM

    The whole piece of online TV has changed the way wherein where we are checked. You can totally swear off the tumult of TV adverts and focus on getting the news. mediosindependientes

    ReplyDelete
  9. mtomApril 4, 2020 at 5:34 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. mtomApril 14, 2020 at 9:21 PM

    I am impressed with this site, very I am a big fan. nba중계


    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I believe this web site has some rattling wonderful info for everyone . mlb중계

    ReplyDelete
  11. abcApril 19, 2020 at 8:56 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  12. mtomMay 5, 2020 at 9:37 PM

    I’d ought to talk to you here. Which isn’t some thing I usually do! I like reading a post that will get people to believe. Also, appreciate your permitting me to comment! 해외축구중계

    -------------------------------------------------------

    Utterly composed subject material , thanks for selective information . mlb중계

    ReplyDelete
  13. MaheenMay 26, 2020 at 11:10 PM

    I recently came across your article and have been reading along. I want to express my admiration of your writing skill and ability to make readers read from the beginning to the end. I would like to read newer posts and to share my thoughts with you. bike basket

    ReplyDelete
  14. SiscomAugust 6, 2020 at 5:04 PM

    I envy your piece of work, thanks for all the useful blog posts. 프리미어리그중계



    ----------------------------


    I’m not that much of a internet reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your site to come back down the road. All the best 슬롯나라

    ReplyDelete
  15. Bernard HarrisAugust 14, 2020 at 4:36 PM

    I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success in your business. mountain bike under 500

    ReplyDelete
  16. John HarringtonAugust 15, 2020 at 4:29 PM

    You made some decent points there. I looked on the web for any problem and located most individuals will go together with using your website.best mountain bike under 500

    ReplyDelete
  17. john rickAugust 28, 2020 at 2:46 AM

    I read a lot of stuff and I found that the way of writing to clarifying that exactly want to say was very good so I am impressed and like to come again in the future... Зачем студенты пишут сочинения и эссе

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)