Thomas Edison tried two thousand different materials in search of a filament for the light bulb. When none worked satisfactorily, his assistant complained, “All our work is in vain. We have learned nothing.”
Edison replied very confidently, “Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.
Edison replied very confidently, “Oh, we have come a long way and we have learned a lot. We know that there are two thousand elements which we cannot use to make a good light bulb.
A rich man asked a Zen
master to write something down that could encourage the prosperity of his
family for years to come. It would be something that the family could cherish
for generations. On a large piece of paper, the master wrote, "Father
dies, son dies, grandson dies."
The rich man became angry
when he saw the master's work. "I asked you to write something down that
could bring happiness and prosperity to my family. Why do you give me something
depressing like this?"
"If your son should
die before you," the master answered, "this would bring unbearable
grief to your family. If your grandson should die before your son, this also
would bring great sorrow. If your family, generation after generation,
disappears in the order I have described, it will be the natural course of
life. This is true happiness and prosperity."
Bell
Teacher
A new student approached the Zen master and asked how he should prepare himself for his training.
A new student approached the Zen master and asked how he should prepare himself for his training.
"Think of me to be a
bell," the master explained. "Give me a soft tap,and you will get a
tiny ping. Strike hard, and you'll receive a loud, resounding peal."
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