Hello everyone!

Question

A few days ago, I promised I would post a Buddhist koan (or parable) that I wrote so that I could get some feedback on it. Here is the koan:

One day the Buddha was going on a long journey, and his disciples were gathered around him. Turning to one of his disciples, the Buddha said: "Are you coming or going?"

Eager to accompany Buddha on his journey, the disciple said: "I am coming."

To his dismay, the Buddha frowned and said: "You are not yet ready for the journey."

Turning to a second disciple, the Buddha asked again: "Are you coming or going?"

Seeing that the first disciple's answer met with disapproval, the second disciple pondered the question and then responded: "I am going."

Again, the Buddha frowned and shook his head. "You are not yet ready for the journey." He said.

Turning to a third disciple, the Buddha asked again: "Are you coming or going?"

Troubled by the response that the first two disciples received, the third disciple was afraid to answer. Stuttering, he began to speak. "I am..." He began, but he could not finish the sentence.

To his surprise, the Buddha smiled and nodded approvingly.

"Here is a true disciple indeed." The Buddha said. "Here is one who is ready for the journey."

Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. Personally, I like it! Just an interesting comment about "I'm coming" and "I'm going" is that in English we say "I'm coming" when someone calls us. But in Spanish you literally say "I'm going" which means from where I am to where you are!