Learning is also letting go!

Letting go of Knowledge

A Zen master on the road to Edo encountered a man bent nearly double by the size of the bundle of sticks he carried on his back. “Brother,” he said, “perhaps it's time for you to discard some of your bundle, trade some pieces for food, or burn some at your roadside camp to survive the coming freeze...” “No,” said the man, “for each stick represents an idea I learned along the path from childhood. Here, the meaning of hard work,” he said turning a burled twisted limb of oak – well polished and free of bark. “This supported me through my 12th year with a broken leg,” displaying a well formed crutch of yew wood. “And this” he said, pulling a dark curve of poplar from the bundle, “is the self reliance which carried me through my wife’s illness and death. Each idea is a life truth learned in difficulty which sustains me against the scars of fortune. To discard any of them would weaken me, though I despair of being able to reach the monastery in Edo where I hoped to study with the new master, Basho – for my burden grows heavier than I can bear...”

Weak and chilled, he accepted the gift of some of the monk’s food as they settled in together to camp through the bitter night.

Came the morning, the man awakened, stretched and stood, marveling at the snow and ice outside the tent and the contrasting warmth that suffused his bones – until he noticed the substantial fire just outside. He quickly turned and discovered his worst fear – during the night to stave off the freeze, his traveling companion had built a fire of the bundle and fed it dutifully through the night to preserve the man safely into the dawn.

“Betrayal!” cried the man, reaching for the monk’s throat. The monk swiftly struck him across the shoulder with a remaining stick. “Notice the difference and the similarity in being struck by a stick or by an idea. You've been blind to the weight of your old ideas – symbolized as sticks, the burden of which made it impossible for you to learn or move any further. A fortunate thing though, because the fire which preserved us through the night also freed you of your burden…and here you stand – erect, independent, experienced and safe."

“I bid you farewell, for I have students to meet in Edo.”

Experiencing a flash of clarity, the man took up the way of Zen.

-Zen Tale
Rene Roshi
Temple of the Perennials
Weston, FL

Consider putting Basho's lesson to work...

In your personal life:

Are you laboring under the burden of an outmoded self-image? An ancient pride? Or a prison of ego?

In your family:

Does an old contention with a sibling define you in the present day or seek to pull you back into an upset of 20 years ago?

In the corporation:

Does the founder’s vision still ring true in a third generation company? Or does the life and death struggle of the past weigh you down as you confront a new reality?

As you make your way to Edo, discard your bundle and walk free…for learning is also letting go.