A Kung Fu student asks his teacher:

• “Master, why does my ability not improve? I’m always defeated.”

And the master, pensive and forever patient, answers…

• “My dear pupil, have you seen the gulls flying by the setting sun and their wings seeming like flames?”

• “Yes, my master, I have.”

• “And a waterfall, spilling mightly over the stones without taking anything out of its proper place?”

• “Yes, my master, I have witnessed it.”

• “And the moon, when it touches the calm water to reflect all its enormous beauty?”

• “Yes, my master, I have also seen this marvelous phenomenon.”

• “That is the problem. You keep watching all this shit instead of training.”