Successor
====


The old Zen master's health was fading. Knowing his death
was near, he announced to all the monks that he soon would
be passing down his robe and rice bowl to appoint the next
master of the monastery. His choice, he said, would be based
on a contest. Anyone seeking the appointment was required to
demonstrate his spiritual wisdom by submitting a poem.

The head monk, the most obvious successor, presented a poem
that was well composed and insightful. All the monks
anticipated his selection as their new leader.

The next morning another poem appeared on the wall in the
hallway, apparently written during the dark hours of the
night. It stunned everyone with it's elegance and profundity
but no one knew who the author was.

Determined to find this person, the old master began
questioning all the monks.  To his surprise, the
investigation led to the rather quiet kitchen worker who
pounded rice for the meals. Upon hearing the news, the
jealous head monk and his comrades plotted to kill their
rival. In secret, the old master passed down his robe and
bowl to the rice pounder, who quickly fled from the
monastery, later to become a widely renowned Zen teacher.