Essence of zen

Essence of zen

The third shogun Iemiiu studied the technique of fencing Hayavadza under the guidance of the sword master Mr. Yagyu Tajima-no-kami.
One day, Takuan visited a shogun at Edojo and found him in a strange occupation. It was raining, but the shogun was in the garden and was jumping along the stone steps.
- What are you doing, lord? - asked Takuan.
- Oh, Takuan Osay! For some time now I have been learning how to perform the movements of hayadvaza and have already achieved something. Look, although I have been jumping in the rain for a long time, my movements are so fast that I still haven't gotten wet, ”Iemitsu said proudly.
- Perfectly! - answered Ose.
- You need to be very fast and durable, right?
- Right. You perform the Hayadwaza technique with lightning speed. But if you compare your technique with mine, it turns out that it is not the fastest.
Hearing this, the proud shogun was indignant:
- You want to say that you can perform Hayadvaza faster than me?
- Yes, my hayadvaza is faster than yours.
- True? Then please demonstrate your technique.
“All right,” said Takuan, walking down to the garden in wooden shoes. Iemitsu looked puzzled at Takuan and could not understand how he was going to perform Hayadvza in this shoe. Meanwhile, Takuan had already managed to get pretty wet in the rain.
- This is my hayadvaza. Iemitsu was perplexed.
- Get wet in the rain - is this your hayadvaza? He asked, puzzled.
- Absolutely. A person naturally gets wet in the rain if he does not have an umbrella. It is impossible to say about hayavadza that it is authentic, if the one who performs it is not wet. You have to train hard and hard, ”Takuan said, and at that moment Iemitsu achieved enlightenment.
That is the true essence of Zen. The one who tries to move so fast so as not to get wet in the rain is subject to illusion. The truth is to get wet whenever you are in the rain without an umbrella.