Mandrake
A Zen Koan.
A Zen monk was walking through the forest when he came upon a strange man tying a rope to a plant. The other end was fastened to a dog.
“What are you doing?” asked the monk.
“I am hunting mandrake root,” the man said. “When it is pulled from the earth, it screams. Whoever hears it either dies or goes mad. So I let the dog pull it free. You should leave before it’s uprooted if you value your life.”
“I see,” said the monk.
The monk stood still as the man scurried off.
A few moments later, he heard a whistle, and the dog ran off into the bush, yanking the root clean from the ground.
There was no scream.
The monk knelt and examined the root closely. A pale sap dripped from its broken flesh.
He did not touch it with his bare hands.