Beginner’s Mind and the Empty Cup

There is a famous Zen story of a university professor who went to visit a renowned meditation master. This professor had been studying Zen and he wanted to gain more knowledge from the monk. The academic launched into a speech about all that he had learnt about Buddhism. While he was doing this the monk started to pour tea for his guest. The liquid reached the top of the cup yet the monk kept on pouring tea into the utensil as it overflowed. The professor felt alarmed and asked why this esteemed master was continuing to pour after the cup was full. The monk responded by saying, you are like this cup. He went to explain that he could not teach the professor anything about Zen because his brain was already full of ideas about Zen. He did not have a beginner’s mind.