Lo Hung Wang
Don Juan
I stumbled upon this short zen story - I think it touches on alot of points that people have brought up on this board and I wanted to share it. I was surprised at how compatible the story is with the theme of this board and the AFC stage. I break down the story at the end. Enjoy
The Subjugation Of A Ghost
A young wife fell sick and was about to die. "I love you so much," she told her husband, "I do not want to leave you. Do not go from me to any other woman. If you do, I will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble."
Soon the wife passed away. The husband respected her last wish for the first three months, but then he met another woman and fell in love with her. They became engaged to be married. Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. The ghost was clever too. She told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart. Whenever he gave his fiancee a present, the ghost would describe it in detail. She would even repeat conversations and it so annoyed the man that he could not sleep. Someone advised him to take his problem to a Zen master who lived close to the village. At length, in despair, the poor man went to him for help.
"Your former wife became a ghost and knows eveything you do," commented the master. "Whatever you do or say, what ever you give you beloved, she knows. She must be a very wise ghost. Really, you should admire such a ghost. The next time she appears, bargain with her. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single."
"What is the question I must ask her?" inqured the man.
The master replied: "Take a large handful of soy beans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand. If she cannot tell you, you will know she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer."
The next night, when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything.
"Indeed," replied the ghost, "and I know you went to see that Zen master today."
"And since you know so much," demanded the man, "tell me how many beans I hold in this hand!"
There was no longer any ghost to answer the question.
The Breakdown
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The Subjugation Of A Ghost
A young wife fell sick and was about to die. "I love you so much," she told her husband, "I do not want to leave you. Do not go from me to any other woman. If you do, I will return as a ghost and cause you endless trouble."
Soon the wife passed away. The husband respected her last wish for the first three months, but then he met another woman and fell in love with her. They became engaged to be married. Immediately after the engagement a ghost appeared every night to the man, blaming him for not keeping his promise. The ghost was clever too. She told him exactly what had transpired between himself and his new sweetheart. Whenever he gave his fiancee a present, the ghost would describe it in detail. She would even repeat conversations and it so annoyed the man that he could not sleep. Someone advised him to take his problem to a Zen master who lived close to the village. At length, in despair, the poor man went to him for help.
"Your former wife became a ghost and knows eveything you do," commented the master. "Whatever you do or say, what ever you give you beloved, she knows. She must be a very wise ghost. Really, you should admire such a ghost. The next time she appears, bargain with her. Tell her that she knows so much you can hide nothing from her, and that if she will answer you one question, you promise to break your engagement and remain single."
"What is the question I must ask her?" inqured the man.
The master replied: "Take a large handful of soy beans and ask her exactly how many beans you hold in your hand. If she cannot tell you, you will know she is only a figment of your imagination and will trouble you no longer."
The next night, when the ghost appeared the man flattered her and told her that she knew everything.
"Indeed," replied the ghost, "and I know you went to see that Zen master today."
"And since you know so much," demanded the man, "tell me how many beans I hold in this hand!"
There was no longer any ghost to answer the question.
The Breakdown
When you love someone, you don't pledge to haunt them. By the end of the story, we learn that the ghost is really the man's mind. This is not a ghost, but his own mind projecting guilt into the future.
His new found love, sets off the predescribed guilt he has already set up for himself. But it is a nescesary step to discovering the truth. We've all been there. Infact, for me - I remember it being almost exactly 3 months!! Creepy in a good way.
Tssk! Women - Always with the blame an' shame game. Of course, in actually it his guilt tormenting him.
This is a great passage - it actually compliments the man on his own cleverness. (since the ghost is really him), But it is a cleverness that works against himself.
Who hasn't been in that same situation?
We all need help at some point, why else are we at this board?
The Zen master pulls a bit of wise humour - he compliments the man's skill at decieving himself! He recommends that he bargain with the "ghost" - which really means he must challenge his perception of reality. Something we all realised at one point.
The handful of beans are symbolic because the man himself does not know the answer. He is really going to ask himself an impossible question.
He challenges the aledged omnipresent "ghost".
.......and realises that it was himself all along.
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