Nansen, Joshu e la meditazione del sacco di riso

The Story

One day, Nansen found Joshu sitting in meditation and asked, “What are you doing?”
Joshu replied, “I am meditating to become a Buddha.”
Nansen then picked up a brick and started polishing it.
Joshu, curious, asked, “Master, what are you doing?”
Nansen replied, “I am polishing this brick to make it into a mirror.”
Joshu said, “But Master, you can’t make a mirror by polishing a brick!”
Nansen responded, “And you can’t become a Buddha by sitting in meditation like a sack of rice!”

Sources

This story is a well-known Zen koan and can be found in various collections of Zen teachings. You can read more about it on sites like:

• Wikipedia: Provides background on Nansen (Nanquan Puyuan) and his teachings³.
• Patheos: Offers interpretations and discussions of Zen koans, including those involving Nansen and Joshu².

(1) Nanquan Puyuan – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanquan_Puyuan.
(2) Nansen’s Troublesome Cat: A Zen Koan and Two Poems – Patheos. https://www.patheos.com/blogs/monkeymind/2022/02/nansens-troublesome-cat-a-zen-koan-and-two-poems.html.
(3) Nansen Cuts the Cat in Two – The Public’s Library and Digital Archive. https://www.ibiblio.org/zen/gateless-gate/14.html.