face

Learning To Be Silent
The pupils of the Tendai school

used to study meditation before Zen entered Japan.

Four of them who were intimate friends

promised one another to observe seven days of silence.
On the first day all were silent.

Their meditation had begun auspiciously,

but when night came and the oil lamps

were growing dim one of the pupils

could not help exclaiming to a servant:

"Fix those lamps."
The second pupil was surprised

to hear the first one talk.

"We are not supposed to say a word,"

he remarked.
"You two are stupid. Why did you talk?"

asked the third.
"I am the only one who has not talked,"

concluded the fourth pupil.