Land of the Rising Sun

 
Well, after 17 hours or so on a plane I have finally arrived here in Japan. Being that I have to get some sleep before training tomorrow I think I'll begin my time here by telling a quick Japanese Zen story. Don't worry though, I'll write more of my own thoughts and adventures soon enough, but for now it's some zzzzzzzz's for me and some Zen for you:
 

A Zen Tale from Japan
 
There was once a man who was being chased by a ferocious tiger across a field. At the edge of the field there was a cliff. In order to escape the jaws of the tiger, the man caught hold of a vine and swung himself over the edge of the cliff. Dangling down, he saw, to his dismay, there were more tigers on the ground below him! And, furthermore, two little mice were gnawing on the vine to which he clung. He knew that at any moment he would fall to certain death. That's when he noticed a wild strawberry growing on the cliff wall. Clutching the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other and put it in his mouth.

He never before realized how sweet a strawberry could taste.


For those of you who aren't into metaphors, I'll decipher this one for you on the next post.

Good night all.

Sayonara,
~Craig





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