A man was standing on a hilltop. Three other men gazed at him from below and wondered what he’s doing up there, all by himself. One of them said that he knew that man and that this man has a cow. So he must have lost the cow and is now looking for it from above.
But the second man said that if one is looking for something, he does not stand still. He keeps moving around, screaming the name of what he is looking for. But this man here is standing still. So he must be waiting for someone. Maybe he was walking atop the hill with a friend whom he left behind and is now waiting for him to catch up.
And then the third man said that if someone is waiting for someone to catch up, they at least look back once in a while to see if that person has come or not. But this man is not looking back at all. He is not moving an inch. He isn’t waiting for someone. So he must be meditating.
They could not agree about what the man was doing there so in order to settle the argument, they went atop the hill to ask him.
The first man said “Are you looking for your cow?” The man said “No, I am not looking for anything.” The second said “Then I must be correct, you must be waiting for your friend who has been left behind on your morning walk?”
The man said “No, I am not waiting for anybody.” The third said “Then my guess has to be right- now there is no other reason left – you must be meditating.” And the man said “No, I am not meditating either.”
Then all three asked “Then what are you doing here?” He said “I am just standing.”
The Zen followers believe that this is real meditation, just standing and not even meditating (in the popular sense of the word)! See the joy of it, the man said “I am just standing. Is there any need to do anything? Can’t I just stand? Won’t you allow me this freedom, just to stand? Must I to look for something, wait for something or do something? Can’t I just be?”
So just sit, just be – no meditation, nothing – and you will feel a great joy welling up inside!
