No Work, No Food

"No Work, No Food” 83 Hyakujo, the Chinese Zen master, used to labor with his pupils even at the age of eighty, trimming the gardens, cleaning the grounds, and pruning the trees. The pupils felt sorry to see the old teacher working so hard, but they knew he would not listen to their advice to stop, so they hid away his tools. That day the master did not eat. The next day he did not eat, …

…place and that evening, they noticed the master eating again. Afterwards, he instructed the pupils “No Work, No Food”. The morale of the story is never take life for granted. In order for each of us to make it in this world, we must be willing to carry our own weight and not allow anyone to do our share of the work. Life isn’t a free ride and shouldn’t be considered one either.