Ep. 3

One day the king of yen visited the master chao chou, who did not even get up when he saw him coming.

The king asked, "which is higher, a worldly king, or the 'king of dharma'?" chao chou replied, "among human kings I am higher; among the kings of dharma I am also higher." hearing this surprising answer, the king was very pleased.

The next day a general came to visit chao chou, who not only got up from his seat when he saw the general coming, but also showed him more hospitality in every way than he had shown to the king.

After the general had left, chao chou's attendant monks asked him, "why did you get up from your seat when a person of lower rank came to see you, yet did not do so for one of the highest rank?" chao chou replied, "you don't understand. When people of the highest quality come to see me, I do not get up from my seat; when they are of middle quality, I do; but when they are of the lowest quality, I go outside of the gate to receive them."

Season 2

Some of the best known Zen stories are used here to illustrate the nature of enlightenment, meditation, love, knowledge and knowing, man's misplaced identification with his ego, and other issues very relevant today.