After having won many archery contests, the town champion went to the Zen master.
- I am the best of all – he said. – I didn’t study religion, never sought help from the monks, and succeeded in becoming the finest archer in the whole region. I heard that, for a time, you were the best archer in the region, and ask you: was it necessary to become a monk in order to learn to shoot?
- No – replied the Zen master.
But the champion was not satisfied: he took an arrow, placed it in the bow, fired it and hit a cherry which was very far away. Smiling, as if to say: "you might have saved your time, devoting yourself only to technique." And he said:
- I doubt whether you could do that.
Without looking in the least bit worried, the master went inside, fetched his bow, and began to walk towards a nearby mountain.
On the way, there was an abyss which could only be crossed by an old bridge made of rotting rope, and which was almost collapsing.
The Zen master went to the middle of the bridge, took his bow and placed an arrow in it, then aimed at a tree on the far side of the precipice, and hit his target.
- Now it is your turn – he kindly told the young man, as he returned to firm ground.
Terrified as he gazed down at the abyss below his feet, the young man went to the spot and fired, but his arrow veered wide of the mark.
- That is why the discipline of meditation was worthwhile – concluded the master, when the young man returned to him.
“You may have great skill with the instrument you choose for your livelihood, but it us useless, if you cannot command the mind which uses that instrument.”
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Use the force in all situations :-) yoda
Thats the power of meditation,and of being humble..every time you achieve something,dont be proud,and dont let it go to your head,cos wat goes up must come done,and u shall fal..our mantra should be “be grounded in success and be strong in failure”
Im A Great Fan Of Paulo Coelho. I Feel So enlightened whenever I read His books!
Great lesson of life is plain English!!!
too good, gave me a big push! thank you
Conseguir esse equilibrio …. ai meu Deus como é dificil….
this is absolutely correct…having a talent is a gift from God…use it wisely….if you can enhance more your talent by accepting constructive criticism and learn from those mistakes it will be more useful to you….this is the way how i understand this blog of yours Mr Paulo Coehlo
…De qué nos sirve ser perfectos en las cosas de este mundo…
El Promedio de ORO se consigue con el equilibrio, la serenidad y la paz; imposible de medirlas para ser comparadas entre unos y otros.
No son habilidades comparables en magnitudes entre los seres humanos.
Deben ser aprendidas a través del ejercico de la mente y cada persona es la única que puede saber hasta donde ha llegado.
Se manifiestan con la actitudes y atraen a los demás.
El silencio es la escuela de la paz.
los impulsos casi siempre nos hacen andar armados por las dudas pero pocas veces escuchamos nuestro interior nuestra mente y espiritu paulo mi mascara de oxigeno diaria mi aire fresco cotidiano amanda
it’s so funny that we choose for that one and not for that one…people who read the same info and be touched by that must feel the same vibration..are on a more or less same frequency in the Universe..interesting..
Thank you….somehow your stories always come at the right time for me…they answer the question which is uppermost in my mind, the one for which I’m groping for an answer…..God must be listening……
Inspiring story. Thanks a lot.
Love every story you share. You can touch ppl lives. You help ppl be a better person, appreciate the life and our dearest ones.
We need discipline in our skills or we might become a conceited and greedy person.
Priceless story~
Thnx for sharing!!
conocer y aceptar nuestra mente, observándola como espectadores y desde ahí actuar con el corazón
Keep doing good work and keep inspiring people…..
Simple but great writing…..
I love that story..
When you can’t control the mind,it’s easy for it to control you…
it takes lots of courage, and self-mastery to stand and walk at the edge of the abyss without falling..even more to stand at the edge and do your thing! i bow to the Zen master!
Love and Graditude
Annie
Prin atatea meandre ale vietii ,mintea si stapanirea de sine sunt arme pretioase care ne salveaza de la marile incercari.
Thank you for your posts. I am a fan and enjoy reading your insights! Keep them coming! :)
awesome
great one
That’s so true Claudine. Paulo’s the best in our hearts.
very inspiring..
i would really like to command my mind the way it should be.
good.
:D
Life…… d’nt leave my mind until the last moment i can!!!
this is my precious tresure
It’s in the mind to do,and act, not a hand, and eye or a muscle.
Thanx Paulo
Thnx,ds s inspirational
nice one piece again mr. paulo….
De todas las cosa que creo mas importantes para el ser humano , es el control de su mente, tu puedes tener dolencias de muchos tipos , casi siempre hay una solucion medica a esa dolencia, pero cuando entramos en el terreno mental, eso es otra cosa.
perder el control de tu mente es lo peor que le puede ocurrir a una persona , pues no hay medicamento que pueda solucionarlo.
Actualmente y debido a tanto agobio y stres las personas con mas frecuencia vamos perdiendo el control de nuestra mente, transgredir esa barrera , esa linea imaginaria entre lo real y lo imaginario, nos puede ocurrir a todos y lo peor es que nosotros no nos daremos cuenta, tendran que ser otros los que empiezen a controlar nuestras vidas.
No hay medicamento que pueda curar un alma enferma…..
ESTE COMENTARIO ES PARA SIERRA. ORDENANDO TUS PENSAMIENTOS, SIENDO AGRADECIDO Y TU MENTE EN UN PUNTO FIJO DE AMOR, SI SE PUEDE.
Gostaria de saber pq não tem em Português?
Sugestão de seu proximo livro falar sobre as nounous aqui na Suiça, quanta escravidão, quantas historias tristes , e claro belas historias, eu mesmo fui uma que passei por poucas e boas. Abraços e sucesso sempre
I like it when it feels that your stories are interconnected. it gets a kind of hard then to deal with them. but they feel like magic.
love bow stories.
thank you.
As always, this is a great and simple story.
Love your work Paulo, you continually inspire me to write more and better.
God bless,
Darren
Bom dia desde Atenas !
Thanx Paulo. Your words of Wisdom give me courage in my life’s journey.
E una verdade a cabeça deve estar sempre presente,meditare tutto che ci faz,se riesce a fare melhor,Se risca muito quando fazemos tutto com pressa, rischiamo di non fare bene.
Voce é minha fonte inspiradora,obrigada por suas mensagens.Fico feliz quando as recebo .De fato amente domina nossa vida seja pen sando certo ou errado
Thank u.inspiring.wat I find wonderful is ur spirit of sharing..thanks for sharing…
Paulo coehlo’s posts contain a sort of inspiration and motivation in our minds and his every word creates a kind of movement inside us that can only be comforted through its action.
how can you tame the mind then??
drugs, brain removal, sex, complete ignorance ;)
this is definitely an inspiring story..thank yaa :)
thyst…..your words touched me….please take care. it is very nice to read what you all share. Thanks.
I really liked this story. It is very inspiring.
Me 2 from Sonalia
I am an ardent fan of yours since 10 years and you never cease to aspire.. Thank you for all your words of wisdom.
True
Really an ispiring tale, thank you so much for that Savita.
OOOHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! que maravilloso!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!es verdad la mente controla nuestra vida!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!eres admirable PAULO!!!!!!!!!!!!! te adoro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
nice one, i like the zen stories.
thanks for sharing this.
plz write more…can’t get enough from ur teaching
another inspiring story, i’m grateful towards you.
It takes humility to know you never know enough… :)
First things, come first. Namaste!
I love’the way of the peaceful warrior’.this book changes my life, my mind, my idea.I so glad that I can tell you.thank you so much
Paulo, I love it when every time I log on to facebook I see a new post from you. They have brighten up my day so far. In this hectic world, your posts have stopped me for a few seconds to think about what matters most in this crazy world..
Just wanted to let you know that you have the power to be a part of many people’s lives…
Thanks 4 sharing urself!
By the way, I’m from Iran…and you have a lot of young fans over there!
beautiful story specially because it remind us that we are more than just our body
thanks paulo
:)
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