Conflict zen and the overflowing teacup
February 27, 2008 · Print This Article
When I packed my bags for college, my big sister gave me a book to put in my suitcase. It was beautifully bound and just the right size in my hands.
It was just the right size for my mind, too. I carry the book with me still, two decades later. The very first story in Zen Flesh, Zen Bones
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era, received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.
Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
Conflict is the professor’s teacup, full of judgments, diagnoses, opinions, attributions.
If, in your next business conflict conversation, you could empty your own teacup, I wonder what you might notice that had no room for you to notice before.
Love this story! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to use it in presentations to model opening yourself up to continuous learning through online conversations.
Miguel
Miguel, that’s such a terrific use of the story and I can see how the imagery of the story would really stick with those you’re presenting to!
Tammy
Tammy,
What a beautiful story! I would like to copy it to my blog, is that okay with you? With backlinks of course. Peace to you,
Ellen
Hello, Ellen, and welcome to Conflict Zen. By all means share the story, as it’s not mine to own and I encourage others to pass it forward. I appreciate you taking the time to check in with me about it!
[...] Zen master, his student, and the cup of tea — rather than repeat it, I’ll point you to this retelling of it — I often think about. Particularly during writing workshops. People often come in with [...]