The students in a monastery were in total awe of an elder monk, not because he was strict, but because nothing ever seemed to upset or ruffle him. So they found him a bit unearthly and even frightening.
One day they decided to put him to a test. A bunch of them very quietly hid in a dark corner of one of the hallways, and waited for the monk to walk by. Within moments, the old man appeared, carrying a cup of hot tea. Just as he passed by, the students all rushed out at him screaming as loud as they could.
But the monk showed no reaction whatsoever. He peacefully made his way to a small table at the end of the hall, gently placed the cup down, and then, leaning against the wall, cried out with shock, "Ohhhhh!"
LOL... that is a funny story, I imagine this monk very focused and calm and as soon as the tea cup is "safe" he let's go of his concentration and exclaims: "ooohhh".
It is almost like a comedy sketch, with all due respect.
I am certainly not that monk, and I don't know what is to be learned from that story really, but I know this: if I had been that monk, the tea would be all over the floor, the tea cup would be broken, and I would swear and scream at the culprits responsible for the broken cup, for making me loose my patience and get so agitated.
But maybe that is what is to be learned of the story, for this monk did not react in the way most of us would have, and WHY? and HOW?
Yes, why and how?
We may be eloquent in Dharma, we may be monks or involved actively with Dharma, but we would still not pass the "tea cup test".
This story is actually very interesting. Indeed.