Cats

In India, I was living in a little hut, about six feet by seven feet.
It had a canvas flap instead of a door. I was sitting on my bed
meditating, and a cat wandered in and plopped down on my lap.
I took the cat and tossed it out the door. Ten seconds later it was
back in my lap. We got into a sort of dance, this cat and I. I would
toss it out, and it would come back. I tossed it out because I was
trying to meditate, to get enlightened. But the cat kept returning.
I was getting more and more irritated, more and more annoyed with
the persistence of the cat. Finally, after about a half-hour of this
coming in and tossing out, I had to surrender. There was nothing else
to do. There was no way to block off the door. I sat there, the cat
came back in, and it got on my lap. But I did not do anything. I just let
go. Thirty seconds later the cat got up and walked out. So you see, our
teachers come in many forms.
--Joseph Goldstein