True Story, allegorically told

[xorcist at sigaint.org]

A serious young man found the conflicts of the mid 20th Century confusing.
He went to many people seeking a way of resolving within himself the
discords that troubled him, but he remained troubled.

One night in a coffee house, a self-ordained Zen Master said to him, "go
to the dilapidated mansion you will find at this address which I have
written down for you. Do not speak to those who live there; you must
remain silent until the moon rises tomorrow night. Go to the large room on
the right of the main hallway, sit in the lotus position on top of the
rubble in the northeast corner, face the corner, and meditate."

He did just as the Zen Master instructed. His meditation was frequently
interrupted by worries. He worried whether or not the rest of the plumbing
fixtures would fall from the second floor bathroom to join the pipes and
other trash he was sitting on. He worried how would he know when the moon
rose on the next night. He worried about what the people who walked
through the room said about him.

His worrying and meditation were disturbed when, as if in a test of his
faith, ordure fell from the second floor onto him. At that time two people
walked into the room. The first asked the second who the man was sitting
there was. The second replied "Some say he is a holy man. Others say he is
a shithead."

Hearing this, the man was enlightened.