A samurai asked a Zen master if heaven and hell existed. The Zen master replied, "Who are you?"

The samurai replied, "I’m a samurai. I guard the Shogun."

The Zen master said, "You, a samurai. What ruler would have you as a guard? You look more like a thief or a begger."

The angered samurai began to draw his sword out of his scabbard. The Zen master next said, "You call that a sword? I bet it’s way to dull to cut my head off."

The samurai pulls his sword out and is about to strike a blow and the Zen master says, "Here open the gates of hell."

At hearing these words the samurai understood the master’s purpose and put his sword back into it’s scabbard and at this the Zen master smiled and gently said, "And here open the gates of heaven."

For years I always thought about this story and how it taught that our own actions and responses to the world dictate our understanding and place in it, and on that level the story is as true as it is. We can, and do, literally choose whether our days are spent in heaven or hell by our perception of events and the subsequent effects of our actions based on those perceptions.

Recently though, upon thinking of this story in a different context, a different lesson was there as well. Since on the initial reading we focus on the Samurai asking the question, the Zen Master is merely a vehicle for the lesson in the story, and that insight tends to be what we take away. And it's a pretty good lesson. But I'd like to point out a different lesson that I think lies buried in the story too, if you look at it from a different angle.

Focus on the Zen Master and not on the Samurai. What does the Zen Master do? He easily and confidently manipulates the Samurai. His simple questions toy with the Samurai's mindset and framing of reality - and effortlessly so. While the Samurai, in his actions is about to willingly step between heaven and hell mindlessly based on the options manufactured by the Zen master, it is the master who actually presents the gates (the choices) themselves. This really struck me, because what if the goal of the Zen Master was not so altruistic? What if he didn't use this to instruct the Samurai but to merely manipulate him? And what does this tell us of those who have the knowledge, position or ability to understand and frame a reality and get others to do their bidding by simply understanding what motivates them?

Yes, this is a social and political commentary, because it is easy to say to people "You have the ability to choose between heaven and hell", and to a certain extent we do have that choice, but I think that alone is not enough - we have to ask ourselves exactly who's heaven and who's hell are we being given a choice of? And who is presenting us with those choices, what their motivations are (to instruct? to deceive? to sell you something?) and why?

Living in the 21st century where entertainment and news are combined, where journalism is bought and sold to the highest corporate bidder, where education is watered down and underfunded, one has to have a finely honed bullshit filter if one hopes to have any enlightenment about our situation. And how many who are in positions to provide us with information about reality are doing so with altruistic intentions to instruct us?

I leave you to ponder that and take what lessons you will.