A Zen master was walking in the forest with one of his disciples. They came across a big stone and a beautiful rose. The disciple asked the master, “Master, why is it that the stone is not beautiful and the rose is beautiful?”

The master smiled and said, “Because you have the notion of beauty in your mind. If you did not have the notion of beauty, then the stone and the rose would be the same.”

The disciple was puzzled and said, “But master, how can the stone and the rose be the same? They are so different in shape, color, texture, and fragrance.”

The master said, “They are different, but they are also the same. They are both made of the same elements, they both exist in the same space and time, they both depend on the same conditions, and they both have the same nature of impermanence and interbeing. The stone and the rose are not separate entities, they are manifestations of the same reality.”

The disciple said, “But master, if the stone and the rose are the same, then why do we prefer the rose to the stone? Why do we value the rose more than the stone?”

The master said, “Because we have the notion of preference in our mind. If you did not have the notion of preference, then the stone and the rose would be equally valuable.”

The disciple said, “But master, how can the stone and the rose be equally valuable? The rose can give us joy, beauty, and fragrance, while the stone can only give us hardness, coldness, and weight.”

The master said, “They are equally valuable, because they can both give us something that the other cannot. The rose can give us joy, beauty, and fragrance, but it cannot give us solidity, stability, and endurance. The stone can give us solidity, stability, and endurance, but it cannot give us joy, beauty, and fragrance. The stone and the rose can both teach us something that we need to learn. The stone can teach us to be strong, patient, and resilient. The rose can teach us to be gentle, joyful, and grateful. The stone and the rose can both help us to grow and transform. The stone and the rose are both our teachers and our friends.”