How Old Are You?

Once upon a time an enlightened monk happened to have a
talk with an old man who practiced Zen meditation very hard
and had a good reputation for his religious life.
 

The monk : How old are you?

The old man : I am 75 years old.

The monk : You have practiced Zen meditation for a long time.
How could you make such an answer a boy of 5 years would make?
You should have made a better answer.

Do you know what is wrong with the answer the old man made?
It is that the monk didn’t ask the old man either his mental age or
his physical age, but how old his true Self was.

In other words, the monk asked him if he had found out his
true Self or Truth.

Do you understand the point of the question?

How will you answer if you are asked the same question?

If someone asks me how old I am,

I will answer, “It is autumn for a breeze is blowing cool and gentle.”

Written by Master Subul Sunim of Ahnkook Zen Center
Translated by Boo Ahm (Song Soo-kyong)

Monthly Magazine SEOUL(September 2008)