Ok, paper tigers. All of you have some experience in dealing with paper tigers. It's like this, you are doing something then all of a sudden they come and they scare you, right? They come because of an unwise thought, this is a paper tiger, it is always just an unwise thought. In our mindfulness practice we have to get more on our guards to be aware of these paper tigers. And there is a little story that illustrates just how much we have to be on guard.
There was once a great fencer, (a sword fighter, but fencing, not sword) and he was one of the greatest ones on the whole planet. There was a young fencing student who wanted to become a great fencer. This young student thought that if only this great fencer would teach him, he then would become a great fencer when he got older. So he went to the fencing master and asked him, "Please would you teach me, I would like to learn, I would like to become as great as you are." The master looked at him and said, "You're too stupid."
The young fencer replied, "No, no, please look. I will work very hard, I will do my best. Please will you teach me?" The master looked at the student and said, " No, I don't think so." The young guy pleads, "Please, please. I will do anything you say, I will work as hard as anyone, I will follow instructions exactly as you tell me, please teach me." The master said, "You will do anything I tell you?"-"Yes, yes." - "Ok, I'll accept you, but I think it will take five years." The student was thrilled, "Yes, yes, I will do anything you say for the whole five years. Believe me, I am a hard worker." The master says, "Ok", and takes the student to his home.
As soon as they get to the master's house he tells the student to wash the floor. The young guy quickly washes the floor. When he was done with that, the master says, "Wash the dishes" and the student washes the dishes. "Clean this, clean that." Day after day goes by. "Clean this, clean that!" Every day the young guy is cleaning and cleaning. Then he thinks, "Well, you know I am not learning yet, but I said I would do everything he tells me. I'll do it, I'll do it."
A month goes by and the young guy is getting a little bit depressed. Two months go by and every once in a while he goes to the door of the room where the master fencer is practicing and he looks through the keyhole. Occasionally he sees the master fencing with another student. The young student is getting quite a bit disturbed and worried.
A few months go by and he finally says to the master, "You told me you would teach me fencing and you haven't taught me anything yet. All I am doing is cleaning." And the master says, "You told me you would do anything for five years. Are you telling me you want to quit?" The student quickly replies, "No, no, I'll do it." "Go wash the dishes," was the master's reply.
Ok, four months go by. One day the young guy is washing the dishes and the master sneaks into the kitchen with a wooden sword. The master taps the kid on the bum, he laughs and he runs out the door. The young guy goes, "What?" A little bit later he is cleaning the floor. The master sneaks in, taps him with the wooden sword, laughs and runs away. The young student starts to think, "This guy is nuts." Day after day, two times a day, three times a day the master would secretly come up and poke the student on the bum, laugh, and then run away. The young guy was getting frustrated.
Then, after awhile, the student started thinking, "You know, this guy is going to come and do it again today. I am going to get ready for him." So when the young kid is washing the dishes, he is kind of on his toes a little bit, on his feet. He is not standing flat, he is kind of getting ready. Again the master creeps in, but the student is still too slow so the master again gets him, laughs and runs away. The student keeps trying. He wants to be ready for the next time. He is listening so hard, he is being so aware, he is trying everything. The master comes in but this time the student hears him. He is waiting and he knows the master is going to go for him but when the master tries to poke him, the student moves out of the way and he laughs at the master. The master laughs, too, and runs away. A few more days the master misses, misses, misses. Then the master says, "It is time, come." And he started teaching the student.
To be on our toes ready for Mara. This is the analogy here. We have to be ready, expect Mara any moment. Mara doesn't care. Mara doesn't come only when you expect it, does it? Mara comes when you grab the door, comes when you brush your teeth, Mara has no problem to interrupt you when you are getting dressed, right? Come anywhere, anytime, you have to get ready. So this analogy of the fencer is a very good analogy I think for being on your toes ready for Mara any time.