The Goose Is Out

There is a famous Zen story about a disciple, Riko, who once asked his master Nansen to explain to him the old Zen koan of the goose in the bottle. Namely, if a man puts a gosling into a bottle, and feeds the gosling through the bottle’s neck un... Read more

There is a famous Zen story about a disciple, Riko, who once asked his master Nansen to explain to him the old Zen koan of the goose in the bottle. Namely, if a man puts a gosling into a bottle, and feeds the gosling through the bottle’s neck until it grows and becomes a goose and then there is simply no more room inside the bottle how can the man get it out without killing the goose or breaking the bottle? In response, Nansen shouts "RIKO!" and gives a great clap with his hands. Startled, Riko replies, "Yes master!" And Nansen says, "See! The goose is out!" In this Zen-flavored series of responses to questions, the contemporary mystic Osho cuts through the mad complexity of the contemporary human mind and its self-created "problems" with humor, compassion, and even an occasional shout and clap of his hands. The goose in the questioner's bottle may be a philosophical problem or an existential dilemma, a relationship drama or an emotional crisis in each case, Osho's unique and transformational response sets the goose free, allowing us to rediscover the simple and innocent clarity each of us brings with us when we Less