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SAID: "IN KOSEI, THE FAMOUS ZEN MASTER, BASO, LIVES. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN HIM?"
"YES, I HAVE," THE MONK REPLIED.
THE MASTER, POINTING AT A BIG PIECE OF FIREWOOD NEARBY, THEN ASKED A MOST EXTRAORDINARY QUESTION: "DOES MASTER BASO LOOK LIKE THIS?"
UNFORTUNATELY, THE MONK, WITH WHATEVER ZEN ABILITY HE MIGHT HAVE HAD, WAS NO MATCH FOR SEKITO. HE BLINKED HIS EYES, AND COULD NOT UTTER A WORD.
THE ASTONISHED MONK RETURNED ALL THE WAY BACK TO KOSEI, MET THE GREAT TEACHER BASO, AND TOLD HIM OF THE STORY.
HEARING IT, BASO ASKED, "WAS THE FIREWOOD YOU SAW BIG OR SMALL?"
"IT WAS VERY BIG," THE MONK ANSWERED.
"YOU ARE A MAN OF GREAT STRENGTH," WAS BASO'S UNEXPECTED REPLY.
"WHY, MASTER?" QUERIED THE MONK, AT A LOSS AS TO HOW TO TAKE IT.
BASO THEN SAID: "YOU HAVE BROUGHT HERE SUCH A BIG PIECE OF FIREWOOD ALL THE WAY FROM SEKITO. YOU SURELY ARE A MAN OF GREAT STRENGTH, AREN'T YOU?"
Maneesha, before I discuss the anecdote, concerning a Zen master named Sekito, meaning stonehead, I have to answer QUICK magazine in Germany. As far as the stonehead is concerned he is standing behind you: Zen master Niskriya. Can you find a bigger stonehead?
(NISKRIYA KEEPS ON LOOKING IN HIS CAMERA, SHYLY LOOKS UP FOR A SECOND AND RETURNS BACK TO HIS CAMERA.)
QUICK magazine needs a quick reply. Because I have been talking about one world, one humanity, I knew some idiot was going to ask this question. QUICK magazine has asked, "If you would offer yourself to personally be the world emperor... with eighteen hours a day sleep you could rule, but that would be in a dream."
It raises many questions. I have talked about one world, but I have never meant that I would be the emperor of this insane world. Jesus has replied for me, "My kingdom is not of this world."
There is a vast universe beyond the small mind of the politician -- and those who become themselves, also become emperors of the universe. There is no competition between Baso and Buddha. At the highest peak of consciousness there is no competition, everybody is an emperor.
So first, to remind QUICK and its readers that I am already the emperor
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