There was once a young and accomplished archer — famed for his skill with the bow.
Many considered him to be the best in the world. He would beat every opponent he faced with minimal effort.
He approached a Zen master famed for his prowess in archery to challenge him to a contest.
The young archer had exceptional talent. When the challenge began, his first shot was a direct bullseye.
The second arrow split the first directly down the middle.
"Bet you can't beat that" — he said to the master condescendingly.
The master did not respond. He gestured the young man to follow him further up the mountain, eventually reaching a deep valley several hundred feet above the bottom. An unsteady tree connected one side of the gorge to the other.
The master calmly walked to the center of the log and fired an arrow directly into a faraway tree.
The master then returned to the safety of the cliff edge and gestured to the archer — "Your turn"
The young man stared into the valley below and began trembling uncontrollably, unable to take a single step onto the tree.
The master watched the young man struggle.
“You have great control over your bow, but little over the mind that fires the arrow”