The falcon that could not fly, a Zen story about autonomy

In this Zen story about autonomy we talk about the importance of difficulties. These should not be seen as something negative, since many times it is precisely through it that we manage to find our abilities.

This Zen story about autonomy tells us that in a distant kingdom there was a sovereign who was very loved by his people.. He ruled fairly and that is why everyone trusted him and obeyed his orders without questioning them too much. There were also many who brought him beautiful gifts as a sign of admiration and affection.

Once the king received a man who brought him a very special gift. They were two little falcons, both children of an extraordinary specimen. The sovereign thanked him for such a wonderful gift and immediately called the falconry master to take charge of training the animals. There was no one in the kingdom who knew more about falcons than he did.

Teacher He received the chicks and from the beginning gave them special treatment. She got them the best food and took personal care of them. The days began to pass and both falcons began to grow. However, this Zen story about autonomy tells us that, despite being brothers, they were very different.

“People often say that this or that person has not found himself yet. But autonomy is not something you find, it is something you create.”.

-Thomas Szasz-

The two chicks and their differences

From the beginning, the falconry master noticed that one of the chicks was perhaps weaker and more timid. That’s why He reserved the best food for him. She even sometimes forgot to feed to the other, or only gave him small portions. He was obsessed with not allowing either of them to die and felt that one of them needed him more.

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As you grow the forgotten chick began to take its first walks, moving away from the small cage that remained open. She was looking for some more food and so, little by little, she became familiar with the place. He discovered different plants, grains and worms that seemed exquisite to him. In this way he compensated for the lack of care.

This Zen story about autonomy tells that soon both chicks became two magnificent falcons. The most protected had acquired the habit of waiting to be given food and care, while the other had become very independent. However, the biggest difference between the two was that while one always remained still, the other had learned to fly. He also knew how to get back.

The falcon that refused to fly

The falconry master accepted that he was not able to find a solution to the problem. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the protected falcon to take flight. The most he managed was to take him out of the cage and put him on the strong branch of a tree. He stayed there all day, but it gave no sign that it wanted to fly. Seeing this, the teacher decided to tell the king what happened.

When the sovereign learned of this enormous difference between the two copies, he decided to issue an edict. It tells the Zen story about autonomy that in this It offered a juicy reward for anyone who was able to teach the hawk that refused to fly to fly.

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Then all kinds of experts arrived in that kingdom. They even came from distant countries, moved by the desire to win the good will of the king and, in the process, the large reward. Each of them thought that he had found the strategy that would allow him to achieve the objective.

A teaching in Zen history about autonomy

Several months passed and none of them managed to get the falcon to fly.. They tried to captivate it with delicious delicacies, but the animal would not move from its branch. They also tried bringing other falcons to show him different flight techniques, but nothing happened. One of the adventurers even wanted to perform a magical ceremony and apply his spells to the animal, but he also couldn’t get it to move away from the branch where it remained all day.

According to the Zen story about autonomy, one morning a humble peasant arrived at the castle. For most, he went unnoticed. The man, now elderly, simply sat next to the tree and watched the hawk carefully. That’s how it was all dayuntil the sun’s rays fell.

The next day, the humble peasant appeared before the king and asked him to look out the window. The sovereign almost did not come out of his astonishment when he saw the falcon flying through the sky.

He called the falconry teacher to make sure that it was the same shy animal that until yesterday did not move from the branch and the teacher certified it. Seeing what happened, the king asked the man how he had achieved it. The peasant, with great simplicity, answered: “It was so easy. I only cut the branch”.