A Zen master sat in meditation under the shade of an ancient oak. A man from a nearby town eagerly approached.
The man asked — “Master, I want to become enlightened. I study and work hard every day, but have gotten nowhere. I need to know if I am taking the right path to wisdom.”
The master slowly opened his eyes to look at the man. After a long silence, he replied — "The river flows, and the lotus blooms without effort or pause."
Baffled, the man asked — "So, should I rest or act to find enlightenment?"
With a serene smile, the master replied, — "To understand the answer, be as the seed that rests in the soil and as the river that carves the canyon."