Pour one glass of water into another. Now ask yourself: how can you tell which water came from the first glass, and which from the second? As you think about this, you're struck by a bird. The bird survivesbut never forgets.

The koan: "A Letter to a Dying Man"

Bassui wrote the following letter to one of his disciples who was about to die:

"The essence of your mind is not born, so it will never die. It is not an existence, which is perishable. It is not an emptiness, which is a mere void. It has neither color nor form. It enjoys no pleasures and suffers no pains.

"I know you are very ill. Like a good Zen student, you are facing that sickness squarely. You may not know exactly who is suffering, but question yourself: What is the essence of this mind? Think only of this. You will need no more. Covet nothing. Your end which is endless is as a snowflake dissolving in the pure air."

The enlightenment: With that, Bassui set down his pen and admired his work. "Yes, that will do," he said to himself. "That will do very nicely."

He folded the letter evenly, put it in an envelope, and addressed it with simple yet beautiful calligraphic strokes. He stuck the letter in his coat and, whistling a pleasant tune, went out for a leisurely lunch before ambling over to his dying friend's house. When he got there, he found that his friend had just died.

"What do you have there?" the man's grieving wife asked Bassui.

"Oh, uh... pornography," Bassui said. Then he ran home and published his letter in a book instead.

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Zen Koans Explained: "A Letter to a Dying Man"

MoDot reminds drivers to be extra careful on the roads this weekend, as the first snow of the season is expected to fall Saturday. /file

JEFFERSON CITY -- Snow is forecast for much of central Missouri Saturday, and officials at the Missouri Department of Transportation are reminding drivers to excercise caution on area roads.

Between two and four inches of snow are expected Saturday, with heavier snows to the west and north.

MoDot says it will have nearly 600 employees and 225 trucks on the roads treating and plowing as needed. But, motorists are urged to take their own precautions, especially since drivers' winter driving skills haven't been tested for awhile.

MoDot says the best way to prepare for winter travel is to check road conditions before you leave. The agency has a Traveler Information Map on its website that provides current road conditions for interstates and major highways.

MoDot offers these tips when driving in inclement weather: Slow down; steer and brake gently; accelerate slowly at intersections; stay back 100 feet from snow plows, and avoid passing snow plows even on multi-lane roads; and be aware that bridges and overpasses freeze up faster than other surfaces.

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MoDot offers tips for driving in snow, ice