"Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to
time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught."
*Oscar Wilde* 1854 - 1900
This reminds me of a "Zen Koan" people would tell me long ago. The
idea was that we each learn and cannot be taught. No one teach but
only points the way and we learn it on our own.
There is a Zen teaching story that speaks of not mistaking a finger
that points to the moon for the moon itself.
http://www.eheart.com/BOOKS/fingers.html
Zen Buddhist koan to ward off the student from the fallacy of wor****p.
It likens the Buddha to a finger pointing at the Moon. The student can
either concentrate on the finger (i.e., wor****p the Buddha), or look
at the Moon (i.e., study what the Buddha taught).
Naturally, you can substitute any religious, spiritual, philosophical,
political (etc) leader, founder, teacher (etc) for the Buddha.
For example, I have heard a Zen master describe the difference between
Christians and Buddhists using this koan, when he said, "Both Christ
and the Buddha were a finger pointing at the Moon. But Christians look
at the finger, while Buddhists look at the Moon."
http://everything2.com/e2node/Finger%2520pointing%2520at%2520the%2520Moon
Zen teaching is like a finger pointing to the moon. Look at the finger
and you'll miss the luminous moon. Zen is only a guide to the truth,
not the truth itself. Let the arrow on your computer screen remind you
of a finger pointing to the moon. With the proper frame of mind, all
things become a guide to the truth, from a flower to a rock to a
computer screen. The truth assumes infinite shapes and forms. Our
challenge is to realize the truth wherever we look.
http://www.wisdom****tal.com/Books/Books-Zen.html
http://tinyurl.com/6hks6l
*curmudgeon*
"The best read illiterate in the country"
|
