C - The Final Parable

One day, Pali was repairing the door of his hut when little Shunryu
approached him.

"Tuncle," said Shunryu. Pali stopped work and turned to face his great
nephew. "I keep hearing people talk about the Way. Daisetz keeps
talking about the Way. People say 'this is the Way', 'this is not the
Way'. Everyone talks about it all the time, but I can't see it."
Shunryu wriggled his little fingers, took a deep breath, and gazed up
at Pali earnestly. "Please tell me, Tuncle. What is the Way?"

Tuncle Pali smiled, and rested the head of his hammer against the
ground. He nodded.

"You know, Shunryu, there was once a little fish, and this little fish
had a question, so he went to see the biggest, most wisest fish. When
he found the biggest fish, he said 'O wise, wise fish, always I hear
talk of something called the Sea, of how it surrounds us always, of how
as it moves, we move, and as we move, it moves, of how our entire
kingdom is Sea... and yet, I do not know it.'

'Young fish,' said the wise fish, 'whether you realise it or not, you
are in the Sea all the time, and you have always been in the Sea.
Strive all you like to discover it. The end of all your wanderings will
be to discover that you were never lacking in the first place.'"

And with that, Pali lifted his hammer, and returned to the obstinate
hinge.

Little Shunryu stood patiently for a moment, digging his toe into the
dust. He glanced towards the ground, then raising his chin piped
up:

"Tuncle." Pali stopped and turned round again.

"Yes?"

"What's the sea?"