the student
walks over the hills
and through woods
into secluded groves
and finally in the forests
he finds the Master

The Master has no books; he carries no signs or paraphernalia of an organization or structure on him. The Master moves lightly; he is dressed in dull clothes and he carries nothing. The Master seems to have no followers; no one to attend to him or to announce him.

the student pursues the Master
and the Master walks before;
and no matter how fast
the student walks or runs
the Old Master seems always ahead

they come to a surging river
and the Master walks across
and the student follows
and at last the currents seem
to slow the Old Master
and the student catches up
and standing in the water
he shouts:
“I am here, Master!
I have come over
hills and mountains
and I have crossed forests
and wastelands
seeking you, Master.
Please teach me.”

And the Master turns around in the surging river, steady and strong. The student looks at the Master’s face; this is a plain man. He does not look like a Master; he has no look of a prophet or one who could save another. There are no signs of revelation in his manner. There is no special-ness in his visage or in his eyes. He could be the butcher at the local market. And the Master seizes the student by the head and pushes him into the water.



the student struggles;
the student's arms are above the water
and the arms are like wings of struggling birds
and the Master pulls the student out of the water
and the Old Master says:
“What did you feel as
you struggled in the water?”

“I felt,” gasps the student,
“I felt desperate for air
for I knew everything depended on it.”

“Ah,” says the Master,
“when you feel likewise
about truth
that this is the only thing that matters -
then you may come back.
Until then, don't waste my time -
now, go!”