There
was once a meeting of teachers and students. The students were asked to come up
with what they considered to be the most important aspect of zen. After a
lengthy discussion, one student who was the spokesman for the group said, “We
have decided that the most important aspect is awareness. After a long silence,
the student repeated that they thought awareness was the most important aspect.
Master Li replied, “What?” Master Li then spoke about the most important
aspect. “If you are on a critical one hundred mile walk, which is the most
important step? The first? The one that completed the halfway point, or the one
that successfully completed the trek? Without the first, the journey would not
ever start. Without the step halfway through, it would indicate you had given
up or something had happened to you. Without the last step, you would not have
had success in finally completing the journey after having come so far. So tell
me, is one step more important than any other?”
