Visit our Facebook at www.facebook.com/thisgrandlifetheology/ or email us at thisgrandlifetheology@gmail.com. Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?” Like the professor that claimed to be seeking enlightment from Nan-in only to be to full of opinions and speculations to learn from someone else many of us find that we claim to want to learn and are willing to change as needed but find that we are our own barrier to learning, to changing. How can we open up to others?