| |
can wake up any moment; you just have to throw some cold water into his eyes.
That's what happened to Chuang Tzu.
One morning he woke up -- a cold winter morning. He was sitting in his bed, wrapping his body with his blanket, very sad.
He was not a man of sadness. In fact, in the world history of philosophy and consciousness, Chuang Tzu is a unique person, so absurd and so rational together.... He was a very playful man. His disciples had never found him so serious. They asked him, "What is the matter? Are you sick or something?"
He said, "The problem is so big, I don't think you will be able to solve it. But anyway, I will tell you the problem; perhaps somebody can solve it. The problem is, while asleep, in my dream, I became a butterfly."
The disciples laughed.
They said, "Don't unnecessarily make a fuss about it. In dreams everything happens. Who cares?"
Chuang Tzu said, "You don't understand the implications! If Chuang Tzu can become a butterfly in the dream, then what is the problem? -- the butterfly may have gone to sleep and be dreaming of being Chuang Tzu. Now the problem is: Who am I? A butterfly dreaming herself as Chuang Tzu? And if I can dream myself as Chuang Tzu, there is no reason that the butterfly cannot dream!"
The disciples said, "It is beyond our comprehension. This is... we never thought about it. We have become many things in our dreams, and we never bothered."
Then his chief disciple, Lieh Tzu, who had gone to another village to preach, came back.
The disciples were waiting for him....
They said, "Our master is very sad, and his problem seems to be without any solution."
Lieh Tzu asked what was the problem and the disciples said, "This is the problem: he does not move from his bed. He said, `First I have to solve this; only then I can move.'"
Lieh Tzu went to the well and pulled out ice cold water in a bucket.
The disciples asked, "What are you doing?"
He said, "You just wait."
And he went and poured the whole bucket over Chuang Tzu!
Chuang Tzu jumped out of the bed. Lieh Tzu said, "Have I to go again and bring another bucket,
|
|
|