A serious young man found the conflicts of mid 20th Century America confusing.
He went to many people seeking a way of resolving within himself the discords
that troubled him, but he remained troubled.
One night in a coffee house, a
self-ordained Zen Master said to him, "go to the dilapidated mansion you will
find at this address which I have written down for you. Do not speak to those
who live there; you must remain silent until the moon rises tomorrow night. Go
to the large room on the right of the main hallway, sit in the lotus position
on top of the rubble in the northeast corner, face the corner, and meditate."
He did just as the Zen Master instructed. His meditation was
frequently interrupted by worries. He worried whether or not the resr of the
plumbing fixtures would fall from the second floor bathroom to join the pipes
and other trash he was sitting on. He worried how would he know when the moon
rose on the next night. He worried about what the people who walked through
the room said about him.
His worrying and meditation were disturbed when, as
if in a test of his faith, ordure fell from the second floor onto him. At that
time two people walked into the room. The first asked the second who the man
was sitting there was. The second replied "Some say he is a holy man. Others
say he is a shithead."
Hearing this, the man was enlightened.