The Game of Chess

My adaptation of a Zen Buddhist Story (Sorry, I don’t know its ultimate origin!)

A wealthy young man inherited a great fortune when his father died. All too soon, he had spent every cent. "I have wasted the fortune of a lifetime," he said. Seeing no way out of his self-inflicted suffering, he resolved to end his own life.

Late that night, he stood at the railing of a bridge overlooking a swift river. As he tried to summon enough courage to jump, he was startled by the sound of footsteps. He turned and saw a Zen monk approaching. The monk paused and said, "Why not try the Zen abbot?" When the young man said nothing, the monk continued, "If he can't help, you can always drown yourself tomorrow!"

A short time later, the young man found himself being ushered into the presence of the abbot of the Zen monastery. The abbot greeted him gruffly. "What do you want here?"

The young man said, "To study with you, I guess."

The abbot said, "No! You lack two qualities necessary to study with me. Leave here!"

The young man protested. "Isn't there some test I can take? You're my last chance before I drown myself."

The abbot looked at the young man more closely. "In your young life, is there something you truly applied yourself to?"

"I got pretty good at chess, for a while."

The abbot said to his attendants, "Bring me a chess board, a sword, and the monk who always sits in the corner. This young man and the monk will play a game of chess. With my sword, I will behead the one who loses."

The young man and the monk began to play. The young man found it hard to think about the game with a sword over his head. In a few moves, he found himself under a strong attack from the monk. "I'm about to die," he thought. Then he saw a chance. He made a strong move in return. In time, he launched his own attack and the monk's position crumbled.

"I will live!" he thought. Then he looked at the face of his opponent. "He is so calm, so focussed. He has made something of his life. If one of us deserves to die, it is certainly not him."

The young man's next move resulted in the loss of one of his pawns. In his next moves, little by little, trying to be subtle, the young man gave away his advantage. Soon, the tide of the game had turned completely against him. He made one more move and saw that he was about to lose.

At that moment, the abbot raised the sword over the game. He brought it down in a mighty sweep that overturned the chess board.

Then the abbot spoke to the young man. "I told you that my students require two qualities. One is concentration. The other is compassion. Now your studies may begin."