A Zen Master and his student were out walking one day when they spied a fox chasing a hare. The student remarked that the fox would soon catch the hare.

The Zen Master claimed that it was not so; that the hare would get away.

The student was surprised and questioned his Master. "But, Master, the fox is more agile, more cunning and is quicker than the hare. The fox must surely catch the hare!"

The Master acknowledged that this was all true but still claimed that the hare would escape.

The student was persistent. "If the fox is quicker, smarter, and more agile than the hare, then how is it that the hare will elude the fox?"

The Master said: "Because the fox is running for his dinner, the hare is running for his life!"