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Main Index
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arrowed, inside also your consciousness must be arrowed. And even if you miss the aim it makes no difference, but the inner aim must not be missed and you are missing that. You have become a perfect technician, but you are an imitator." But to a Western mind or, really, to a modern mind (and the Western mind is the modern mind), it is very difficult to conceive of this. It appears nonsense. Archery is concerned with a particular efficiency of aiming.
By and by Herrigel became disappointed, and one day he said, "Now I am leaving. It seems impossible! It is impossible! When you are aiming at something, your awareness goes to your aim, to the object, and if you are to be a successful archer you have to forget yourself -- to remember only the aim, the target, and forget everything. Only the target must be there." But the Zen Master was continuously forcing him to create another target inside. This arrow must be double-arrowed: pointing toward the target outside and continuously pointing toward the inside -- the Self.
Herrigel said, "Now I will leave. It seems impossible. Your conditions cannot be fulfilled." And the day he was leaving, he was just sitting. He had come to take leave of the Master, and the Master was aiming at another target. Someone else was learning, and for the first time Herrigel was not involved. He had just come to take leave; he was sitting. The moment the Master would be finished with his teaching, he would take leave and go. For the first time he was not involved.
But then, suddenly, he became aware of the Master and the double-arrowed consciousness of the Master. The Master was aiming. For three years continuously he was with the same Master, but he was more concerned with his own effort. He had never seen this man -- what he was doing. For the first time he saw and realized, and suddenly, spontaneously, with no effort, he came to the Master, took the bow from his hand, aimed at the target and released the arrow. And the Master said, "Okay! For the first time you have done it. I am happy."
What had he done? For the first time he was centered in himself. The target was there, but he was also there -- present. So whatsoever
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