The Real Goose That Laid The Golden Egg (Based On A Zen Koan I Once Read And Heard Well)

Once I read a Zen story about a goose in a bottle that got fed until it could not get out except by breaking the whole bottle open including the neck of the bottle. The import of that story is that limitations are what we make them, and when the goose is fed enough to be out, it will be out. The bottle is our circumstances, and the goose represents the consciousness in those circumstances. Before I internalized and understood fully the story, I heard or read it three times: Once from a good friend of mine, hypnotist and author Richard "Dick" Sutphen, another time in a book of Zen stories I took out of the Masao W. Satow Public Library a long time ago which was taken off the active shelves and put into the book sale, which I bought, and the third time before I fully internalized it, I just thought of it the other two times I read and heard it.

When you understand that circumstances and limitations are what you make them, reality becomes fully a game and not a battle, and you do understand how to live sanely without destroying yourself doing it.

What do I mean by destroying yourself living sanely? You see all the "realities" and "facts" of all the suffering, fear, greed, avarice and loneliness in the world, and realize the bizarre and insane game being played by most people, especially the supposed "masters" and "leaders", then realize that it is all nothing really except what we make it within ourselves. What do you think I mean by mentioning that story about the goose breaking the bottle when it is fed too much anyway?

We have a choice. We either outgrow our circumstances genuinely, or we "explode in all the craziness". In short, we either get saner, or go in the opposite direction when we realize what it is all about. I chose to get saner, live in reality, and work smarter, which is a bit of a rarity when you think about all the people who do "go by appearances" weakly instead of genuinely and consciously responding strongly. For, indeed, appearances are just that, appearances. Nothing more, nothing less. So, think of it this way, the reality is within us and not appearances outside of us. Another way to put it: You put yourself in the situation anyway, and with honesty and work, you can get yourself out.

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