The movie that has impressed me the most in recent years is “The Matrix.” While the movie has many deep meanings, I specifically remember the scene where Neo met Oracle for the first time. You are ready to meet Oracle and it is waiting for you. See several children practicing supernatural abilities. One of them is holding a spoon in his hand. The boy looks at his spoon and tilts his head. The head of the spoon bends without touching it. Neo asks how he did it. The child responds, “Don’t try to bend the spoon. Instead, try to look at the truth.” Neo asks: “What truth?” The child responds: “The truth is that there is no spoon.” Interpretation may vary. I recognize that the important message is “try to see the truth.” In other words, “look at the real nature of things so as not to misinterpret them.”
In the 17th century, there was a Zen priest, Ikkyu, who was famous for his knowledge in Japan. In the backyard of his temple, there was a pine tree with twisted and curved branches. One day, Ikkyu gathered his students and asked them if they could see the pine tree directly. All of Ikkyu’s students told him that the tree was crooked and curved. They said they couldn’t see it clearly. Ikkyu repeated: “Take a good look, can’t you understand?” All his students were puzzled. Ikkyu told them to go see his friend Rennyo, who was a priest, and ask him how to see the pine tree directly.
The students went to Rennyo. They asked him how he could see the tree directly. Rennyo replied that it bends. The students were confused. They repeated the same question to Rennyo and told him that his teacher had said that there was a way to see him clearly.
Rennyo responded to Ikkyu’s students and said that he was telling them that he was bending over. They began to panic. Finally, they returned to Ikkyu without understanding. They told Ikkyu that Rennyo had told them that the tree was not straight. Ikkyu pointed out that Rennyo did not say not to be direct. Said it was bent. Ikkyu explained that Rennyo was seeing the true nature of the right tree and that is why he had said that it bends. Rennyo was explaining to Ikkyu’s students the true nature of the tree.
It sounds like a play on words. Some may call it sophistry. However, this story is effective in teaching people to observe the nature of things. The tree can be simple. In the real world we live in, there are things full of exterior decoration. These confuse our eyes and we forget to take a look at the true nature of the world.
