The Zen master Hakuin used to tell his students about an old
woman who owned a tea shop in the village. She was skilled
in the tea ceremony, Hakuin said, and her understanding of Zen
was superb. Many students wondered about this and went to
the village themselves to check her out. Whenever the old
woman saw them coming, she could tell immediately whether
they had come to experience the tea, or to probe her grasp
of Zen. Those wanting tea she served graciously. For the others
wanting to learn about her Zen knowledge, she hid until they
approached her door and then attacked them with a fire poker.
Only one out of ten managed to escape her beating.
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