My First Koan

A man sought wise counsel, so he sailed across the roughest seas, crossed the harshest desert and climbed the highest mountain. After considerable struggle, effort and time, the man finally reached the wiseman. 

The wiseman asked, "What is your question?"  

The man asked, "Who am I?"  

The wiseman responded, "Who do you think you are?" 

 The man answered, "I don't know." 

The wiseman replied, "Then that is who you are."

This is a Koan* I wrote today. What does this Koan say to you? Who do YOU think you are?

Many people, myself included, at one time or another spend considerable struggle, effort and time (and money) to try to find out who they are from someone else.

Truth is, we don't need to go to anyone else for that answer. The answer lies within ourselves, if we are willing to be honest with ourself, and willing to leave behind that which no longer is beneficial or good for our lives, if we are courageous to reach for shores yet not seen, brave to charter unknown territory.

The fact is, we change everyday. HOW we change is entirely up to us! What we do today affects our direction for tomorrow...


* A Koan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement; the meaning of which cannot be understood by rational thinking, yet it may be accessible by intuition. (A widely known Koan is, "Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?")