Zen: The Trap of the Separate Ego

A student tries to eliminate desires by controlling his mind and practicing yoga. He finds himself once more with molasses in one hand and feathers in the other absolutely tied up in a vicious circle so he realizes there is nothing I can do about it, writes Zen master Shun-Yi Hsu. The whole object of this zen dialogue between the teacher and the student is to carry that game of being the separate ego to its logical conclusion -  reductio ad absurdum.