A student asked a Zen Master,
‘If I work very hard,
how long will it take for me to realise Zen?’
The Master replied,
‘Ten years.’
The student replied,
‘If I work very very hard,
how long will it take for me to realise Zen?’
The Master replied,
‘Twenty years.’
The student replied,
‘If I work very very very hard,
how long will it take for me to realise Zen?’
The Master replied,
‘Thirty years.’
The student replied,
‘But, I don’t understand…
why does it take longer when I work harder?
The Master replied,
‘When you have one eye on the goal, you only have one eye on the path.’