A TANGIBLY INTANGIBLE JOURNEY: Experiential Learning Via Zen Philosophy & General Semantics

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By Hutchinson, Joseph
Academic journal article from et Cetera, Vol. 63, No. 3

Article details

Beginning of article

A Cup of Tea

Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), 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?"

(Reps & Senzaki, 1994, p.7)

THIS TYPE of short story can be labeled in a number of different ways koan, parable, metaphor, anecdote, narrative, allegory - to name a few. …