In 16th century Japan, there lived a wrestler named Great Waves who was very strong but shy. In private matches he would win, but in public he would lose due to his shyness. His teacher told him to meditate and imagine himself as huge, powerful waves. That night, Great Waves got lost in his meditation and imagined himself as waves that flooded the temple. The next day, feeling confident as the waves, he entered contests and went on to never lose a match, becoming the greatest wrestler in Japan.

1. Zen Story -Great Waves Prepared by Prof.K.Prabhakar [email_address]

2. In the early days 16 th century there lived a well-known wrestler called, Great Waves.

3. Great Waves was immensely strong and knew the art of wrestling. In his private bouts he defeated even his teacher, but in public he was so shy that his own pupils threw him. He went to his teacher and asked for a solution.

4. "Great Waves is your name," the teacher advised, "so stay in this temple tonight, Imagine that you are those billows. You are no longer a wrestler who is afraid. You are those huge waves sweeping everything before them, swallowing in all their path. Do this and you will be the greatest wrestler in the land."

5. The teacher retired. Great Waves sat in meditation trying to imagine himself as waves. He thought of many different things. Then gradually he turned more and more to the feeling of the waves. As the night advanced the waves became larger and larger. They swept away the flowers in their vases. Even the Buddha in the shrine was inundated. Before dawn the temple was nothing but the ebb and flow of an immense sea.