It was a warm morning, but not hot, as Master Wu and I arrived at the mountain pond. The surface of the pond was like glass, and the reflection of the sky was like brilliant gold. There was no wind and no sound. I watched quietly as Master placed a mat in the soft, short grass near the shore. When he motioned to me, I sat on the mat. He stared out over the pond for many minutes, perfectly still as the morning. Then he began to speak softly but clearly.
"The pond teaches us that, when things are quiet and still, we can achieve a near perfect peace. Without wind to disturb it, the water rests in perfect repose. You cannot detect its small movement with your ears or your eyes. Here, in this quiet place, we will try to be like the pond."
I thought about this, and then asked, "Eventually, we will achieve peace that surpasses that of the pond. Eventually we will be able to have peace even when the wind blows. This is true, is it not?" I hoped he would approve.
He continued to stare quietly, his face showing no sign of approval or disapproval. "Eventually we may learn to be somewhat less peaceful than the pond in quiet times. In strong winds, the pond waves and laps the shore, but it is not broken. This we will also learn to emulate, but we will never have the peace of this pond in wind or calm."
I frowned, in spite of myself. We have will. We can ignore, become resigned. The pond cannot do this. "The pond is just a metaphor for peace," I said, "and, like all metaphors, it breaks down. The peace of the pond is easy to disturb. If I toss a stone into it, it will be shattered. We have will. We can choose to ignore the wind."
Again, he waited. When he finally spoke, he merely said, "Peace, now. Try to learn the peace of the pond in this quiet place."
I closed my eyes and went through the familiar steps of relaxation. Bit by bit, the tension and care left me. I both opened my senses and closed my mind to the world around me. No thinking, only feeling, only being. I was amazed at how silent the pond was, though I knew it was within an arm's reach. I was impressed, wondering if it could hear me. No sound. No breeze. Perfect peace.
And then an explosion of pain. I felt my scream rip through the serenity of the morning as I lunged forward onto my hands and knees and groped back for the pain that was ablaze in my back, just below my shoulder blade. I turned around in time to see Master Wu throw a stone toward me. I flinched and ducked, but it sailed over my head and landed with a splash in the center of the pond, sending ripples out in every direction. I looked back at Master Wu, who was walking toward me. I saw a smaller stone on the ground just beside my mat.
"Master! What? I..." I wanted to scream at him, but I knew better. I tried to reach the pain in my back, but it was in an awkward place and I could not. I was furious, and I began to breathe deeply in order to control my anger.
When he finally reached me, he sat softly to the ground beside my mat. "Looks like you were right," he said, "the peace of the pond was shattered with one stone. Look."
I turned to look, but the pond was as smooth as glass again. The ripples had already dissipated into nothing. My back, on the other hand, was still throbbing, and the pain was getting worse.
"And your ripples? All gone?" he asked, and smiled.
It was more than I could bear. I rose to my feet and started the long walk back to the house. Master just stayed there, smiling. "Just ignore it," he said, and he started to laugh. "Use will." Just before I was out of earshot, I heard him yell, "The man is just a metaphor for peace. He breaks down." He howled with laughter.
In the morning, he put the stone in my tea. Bastard. I slipped it in my pocket, where I still carry it to this day.
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