A Zen master was on a ferry boat which whilst crossing the river collided with another boat. It was so foggy it was impossible to see what had really happened but the ferry master screamed out angrily "hey be more careful, how stupid, what an idiot.
But as the fog cleared a little he could see that the boat had freed itself from its moorings and had no pilot. So right away the ferry master calmed down and guided the run away boat away towards the shore.
The Zen master asked him why he had been so aggressive to an empty boat. The ferry master answered by saying " because there was no body to hold responsible when the boat's empty and I didn't know that the boat was empty until the fog had cleared, besides that it would be a silly thing to do to cry at a boat that was empty.
Tao: When we see situations that annoy or cause us distress, would it not be wiser to treat those things as an empty boat without searching for blame or in making someone or something else responsible. This way we search directly for solutions instead of causes.
From: Golf im Zeichen des Zen