"An untamed bird when in a cage gets very agitated. So much so that even if the door is opened it cannot find its way to freedom. And even if he does find the opening he does not always go as far as to fly towards freedom. Heneeds to calm down and sometimes needs outside help; that is the role of education in Zen.
We need to calm down and open our ear to the instructions which show us the way to freedom. Often we prefer to stay locked up in our cocoon and we make a comfortable den for ourselves; this is because we do not know the happiness of flying freely in the sky. Having an open ear means to be separated no longer from the rest of the universe by the idea of me and mine.
Please, accept the corrections that you receive as an aid. Be completely open and receptive and let them go right through you and into your heart."
