The Goose Is Out: Zen in Action

There is a famous Zen story about a disciple, Riko, who once asked his master Nansen to explain to him the old Zen koan of the goose in the bottle. Namely, if a man puts a gosling into a bottle, and feeds the gosling through the bottle’s neck until it grows and becomes a goose – and then there is simply no more room inside the bottle — how can the man get it out without killing the goose or breaking the bottle? In response, Nansen shouts "RIKO!" and gives a great clap with his hands. Startl...