ONE day, Nan-in, the Japanese Zen master, had a visitor who wanted to know what Zen was about. But before Nan-in could explain he began to talk about his own ideas and experiences.
Nan-in began to pour tea into his tea cup. The cup became full and began to overflow but he continued pouring. Finally the visitor felt compelled to stop talking and point this out to him.
“The cup is full,” he said. “It won’t take any more.” “Just so,” said Nan-in, getting up to go. “Like the cup, you too are full of your own ideas. You cannot take in any more.”