A Zen teacher saw five of his students returning from the market, riding their bicycles. When they arrived at the monastery and dismounted their bicycles, the teacher asked the students, "Why are you riding your bicycles?"
The first student said, "It is the bicycle that is carrying the sack of potatoes. I am glad that my back has escaped the pain of bearing the weight"
The teacher was glad and said, "You are a smart boy. When you become old you will be saved of a hunch back unlike me."
The second student had a different answer. “I love to have my eyes over the trees and the sprawling fields as I go riding," he said. The teacher commented, "You have your eyes open and you see the world."
The third student came up with yet a different answer and said, "When I ride I am content to chant 'nam myoho renge kyo.'"
The teacher spoke these words of appreciation, "Your mind will roll with ease like a newly trued wheel."
The fourth student said, "Riding my bicycle I live in perfect harmony of things." The pleased teacher said, "You are actually riding the golden path of non-harming or non-violence."
The fifth student said, "I ride my bicycle to ride my bicycle."
The teacher walked up to him and sat at his feet and said, "I am your disciple!"
Tell us why you ride your bicycle by commenting below!
