Rensun T.

Laureno
ZEN STORIES (Afro-Asian Literature)
A Cup of Tea
The story reminds to us that we are being compared to a cup of tea, we humans must
know how to empty our cup. As we grow older, we just put so much information to ourselves
just like a cup of tea which overflows. We did not know that we must be open-minded and be
humble to ourselves. We just need to empty our cup. We just need to accept something either
something better or something new. We need to make a room for new things. These new things
will make us better person and we can share it to someone or somebody that their cup of tea
overflows and don’t know how to empty their cup.

The Tunnel
The story the Tunnel taught us that even we commit a big mistake or big sin to our lives,
if we can change to ourselves, then there are lots of possibilities and their lots of room for
changes. We just need to start a small step and everything will follow. Just like in the story, the
character committed a lot of sin, as the years passed, he realized that he can repent his sin even
by working. He makes a tunnel in order for the traveler to be safe and after that, a son of official
he has slain few years passed wants to kill him. Zenkai talks to the son and said let me finish this
tunnel and after that you can kill me. As the son waited for a long time, he helps Zenkai to make
the tunnel. As the tunnel finish, he realized that he really change and he could not kill Zenkai in
exchange for slaying his father.
I realized that even a person committed a big mistake throughout his life, he could
change. Not just for himself but for the people around him. As an individual and as a human, we
should also forgive those people who committed a sin unto us, even if it is very hurtful
experience or even it was very unforgettable moment of our life.

The Muddy Road

It is a story of Tarzan who helps a girl in the mud. He just wants to help the girl to cross
in the muddy road. But Ekido thinks badly, he thinks that Tarzan violates the rules as a monk
himself. He thinks that monks should never be attracted by a woman. But it wasn’t said in the
story that Tarzan was attracted to that girl.
We humans are like Ekido, thinking bad when we do not know what he thinks or
someone wants to help. We live in a very judgmental society. We kept judging someone without
knowing the real situation. We should be like Tarzan, we should help the one in needs. We
should not keep judging on the people on their physical appearance but we should know what is
the real intention of someone if it is good or bad.