Nothing

Many students claim any understanding of the path. They read the books, they memorize the words, just like a real class, and they pretend they are becoming enlightened. One such student traveled across the country, visiting teachers , telling each all he knew. "There is no mind. There are no beings. There was no Buddha, no Christ, no Mohammad, no great thinkers. The great truth is there is only emptiness, there is nothing." He allowed no one to argue against him, for he had read all the great works and he countered all their silly points. He knew more than they did. One day, he visited a quiet man living a simple life in a small town. The older man was not famous, had no great following, and presented no philosophy to the young man. The younger man had stopped there to rest awhile and, while there, was sharing his tale of encounters with those many teachers he had disproved and discounted. As he finished up his story, he again said, "The great truth is there is only emptiness, there is nothing." The older man reached out and hit him hard in the head, knocking him to the ground. "If nothing exists, where did that come from?"