The Zen Training Academy

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo, he was given an audience with the sensei.

“What do you wish from me?” the master of the zen martial arts academy asked.

“I have heard a lot of your Zen Training Academy. I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy said. “How long must I train?”

“Ten years at least,” the master replied.

“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”

“Twenty years,” replied the master.

“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all of my effort?” “Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.

“How is it that every time I tell you I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” said the boy.

“The answer is clear. When you have one eye fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the way.”