LIFE IS IN HANDS
We know how children are—always playfully testing and pushing the boundaries, to find out what they can get away with. But for this young student at the monastery, the matter was serious. He had a grudge against his teacher and he was determined to prove him wrong. After weeks of intense scheming, he finally concocted a devilish plan that he thought was a fool-proof way of ridiculing his master.
One early morning, on his way to lessons, he caught a baby dove which he hid in the palm of his hands. In front of the whole class he showed his cupped hands to his teacher.
"Master, I know that you know everything, so I want you to solve this riddle that I've designed for you. I have in my hands a dove. Can you tell me if it is alive or dead?"
His plan could not fail. If the master said the dove was alive, the student would subtly break its neck within his closed palms. If the master said it was dead, the student would simply open his hands and show that it was alive. Either way, the master would be wrong. The monk had great intuition and knew the evil plan of his student. But his answer defeated his student. What did he say?
The master simply said, "My son, the answer is in your hands."
Good and evil impulses are forever raging within our consciousness. Even in holy places or in saintly company, negative tendencies will arise and will have to be conquered.
This clever Zen riddle shows how to resolve this terrible conflict. The master did not engage the battle at the level that the student (representing the ego) expected. He turned the matter over to the student's own conscience, indirectly telling him "My son, I know the dark forces you are battling within yourself. Do not indulge in these negative tendencies, and turn yourself over to the light within. No one can do it for you. The outcome of your inner struggle is in your hands."
