The lonely young man climbed in search of the Zen Master who dwelled in a cave atop the mountain. The village people living nearby had sworn to him that he was the wisest man in all the land.
He had been told that he was free to ask any question he liked and the Zen Master would willingly share his wisdom.
The young man entered the cave atop the mountain and found the Zen Master sitting in a robe next to a roaring fire. The young man approached tentatively.
“Zen Master, I seek your advice. I’m searching for the love of my life, for my future wife, for my soul mate. I wish to know what kind of woman I should seek.” the young man spoke
The Zen Master listened to the curious words of the young man and answered “I see. And what kind of woman do you think you’d like to be with?”
The young man thought for a second, and then pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and pulled up an image.
“This one” the young man said. “Do you think I should be with a woman like this?”
The Zen Master peered over the image on the young man’s smartphone; in the photo stood a beautiful young woman, with long, luscious, brown hair, dark eyes, with her hand lay on the hips of her curvy figure.
The Zen Master frowned.
“No” he spoke plainly.
“No? Why not? She’s gorgeous! A woman like this would make a perfect wife for me!” exclaimed the young man.
But the Zen master remained focused on the fire, not uttering another word.
The young man left the cave with his head down, disappointed and confused.
The following week, the young man entered the Zen Master’s cave once again.
With him, he brought another image; this time of a gorgeous, blonde woman with blue eyes and a petit body.
“What about her?” the young man asked the Zen Master. “Should I be with a woman like this?”
The Zen Master peered over the young man’s smartphone.
He frowned. “No”, he responded, before turning back to the fire.
The young man left frustrated once again.
A week passed, and the young man entered the Zen Master’s a third time.
The young man knelt next to the Zen Master and opened another image to show him, this time a stunning East-Asian woman with cute features and a slim body.
“It’s her isn’t it. This is the kind of woman who will complete me. This is the kind of woman who will be my other half” the young man spoke hopefully.
The Zen Master peered over the image shown on the young man’s smartphone.
He frowned. “No”, he responded, before turning back to the fire.
The young man rolled his eyes in frustration and tutted under his breath before leaving.
Another week passed, and the young man entered the Zen Master’s cave a fourth time.
His smartphone held in his right-hand once again.
The young man knelt next to the Zen Master and opened another photo to show him; this time a dazzling African woman with dark skin, dark features and a perfect body.
“This is the one isn’t it. This is the kind of woman who I’m destined to be with isn’t it?” the young man asked tentatively.
The Zen Master peered over the image shown on the young man’s smartphone.
He frowned. “No”, he responded, before turning back to the fire.
The young man lost his temper.
“You’re no Zen master! You’re nothing but a fraud! Every week I come here and show you a different kind of woman, and every single time you just say “no” and then ignore me! You don’t know anything do you!” the young man shouted in frustration.
The Zen Master continued to stare into the fire and spoke calmly: “But you have not shown me any women”.
“What are you talking about!” the young man spat. “I’ve shown you 4 different woman and every time you say no!”
The Zen Master stared into the fire and spoke “No you haven’t. The only thing you’ve shown me is that electronic device of yours.”
The young man looked at him confused.
The Zen Master drew his breath and spoke: “What you have shown me are not women. What you have shown me are collections of digital pixels of various colours that have been put together to make up the image that looks like a woman. If those are women, then all a carpenter would have to do to earn a living is draw a picture of a wooden table with a pencil. If those are women, then all a cook would have to do to earn a living is paint a picture of a delicious meal. If those are women, then all an astronaut would have to do is a download a picture of the moon from the internet.”
The young man sat in silence.
The Zen Master continued calmly, “Those pixelated representations of women you have brought me: the more time you spend gazing at them, the lower your chances of finding the woman you seek.”
As the Zen Master finished speaking he returned to gazing at the fire and ignored the young man once again.
The young man did not fully comprehend what the Zen Master had meant. But as the months drew on, the Zen Master’s words echoed throughout his young brain, influencing his behaviour without his knowing.
And after 2 years, he had found the woman he was looking for.
