One day I heard of a stranger who it was claimed could cure all manner of ailments in both the body and the mind. I was given directions to his house and so immediately hastened over to his house and knocked on the door. A houseboy opened the door and led me into a garden where I saw a man removing weeds from around some quite beautiful blooming flowers.
“Are you the man who can cure strange ills?” I asked. “I have a most peculiar problem.”
“Kindly describe the condition.” intoned the stranger as he gently placed a weed into a pouch tied around his waist. “And then I’ll know if I can assist you with your problem.”
“Good.” I said. “Let me tell you the story from the beginning, so that you will have all the information.”
“If you insist.” was all the stranger said.

“It began almost two years ago in the village of Summa. One day I was walking through the public square and I saw a most peculiar sight. A crowd of villagers had gathered around a speaker who seemed to be causing quite a stir. I moved closer in order to hear what he was saying. The audience was clapping and laughing and otherwise eagerly responding to the speech. As I approached the crowd quieted in anticipation of his next words. I looked up at the speaker. His mouth was moving. But there was no sound coming out. I looked closer. I strained to hear what he was saying. But I heard nothing. It was most peculiar. Villagers were nodding their heads as if in agreement and with such intensity it seemed they were hanging on his every word. But I could hear nothing. I made a loud grunt just to reassure myself that I could hear. It seemed only I heard my grunt. I watched the speaker’s soundless lips talk to the eager crowd. This continued for some ten minutes. Then, apparently the speech ended. There was much applause. I heard comments in the audience to the effect that the speaker, who they called the sage, was very persuasive, passionate and wise. A very good speaker.”
I looked over at the gardening stranger to see if he had any questions. He shrugged and pulled up another weed.
I continued. “Well, I had to get to the bottom of this. So I approached the sage who was standing under the branches of an ash. A few villagers were milling around but no one was talking to him. Once I was standing in front of him, I couldn’t think of what to say.
The sage looked at me and said, “Kind sir, you look perplexed. Perhaps something I said wasn’t clear.” Then he paused. I was speechless.
“Kind sir” he asked patiently, “Can I help you?”
I pursed my lips and said, “When I saw you talking earlier. During the speech before the villagers, every time your mouth opened nothing came out. You made no sound. But the audience reacted just as if you spoke. In fact they quite enjoyed whatever you seemed to be saying. What is the meaning of all this? Why is it that I heard nothing?”
The sage nodded his head and after a slight pause spoke, “Kind sir, you are most observant. The fact is that I was saying nothing to them of any relevance to you. And that is why you heard nothing.”
Then he stopped talking. I waited for him to say more. I didn’t understand a thing he was saying. I was very perplexed.
Before I could think of what to do or say the sage said, “Perhaps there is something I could say to you that might be relevant. Something just for you to hear. “
I didn’t know what to say, so I said, “I would appreciate anything that you would tell me.”
He looked intently at me. “Very well.” he grunted, “Let us see if that is really the case.”
“Pardon?” I stuttered confusedly.
But before I could say anything more the sage spoke the following words:

The heart of action is intent.
The action of intent is heart.
The intent of heart is action.

I paused. The words echoing in my mind.

I looked down at the gardener, a supposed healer. He had stopped pulling weeds temporarily. Then he nodded at me and looked down and patted the soil.
“That’s it.” I said. “That’s all he said. Then the sage just turned away and walked off.
A villager who had been standing behind me tapped me on the shoulder and inquired, “What did he say? I didn’t hear what he said. What did he tell you? His mouth was moving but no sound came out. Did he say something important?”
“I’m not sure, ” I said. And I repeated the koan to the villager. The villager reacted indifferently almost disappointedly. “Sounds like some children’s rhyme,” the villager said. “Well, no matter.” and he walked off, paying me no mind. When I looked around for the sage but he was nowhere in sight.

“But that isn’t the end of the story.” I told the stranger. “In fact, it was just the beginning. Because for the last two years, it’s the only thing I can think about. I can’t get that saying out of my mind. It’s always going round and round in my thoughts. The heart of action is intent. The action of intent is heart. The intent of heart is action. Over and over. It’s driving me crazy.
I’ve tried everything I can think of. I’ve searched for the sage but I can’t find him and no one seems to know where he is. I don’t know what to do.
The only time I’m free of it is when I’m deeply involved in something, otherwise, over and over, the same old words. The heart of action is intent. The intent of heart is action. The action of intent is heart. I can’t even sleep unless I concentrate with all my heart on sleeping.”
Having completed the story I heaved a sigh and waited for a response.

The strange healer said nothing as he carefully tilled the ground around a flower.
“Well. Can you help me?” I finally asked.
The stranger paused, then spoke, “Yes, kind sir. I can help you. It is a simple matter. I can take the words from your mind, if that’s what you want.”
“What do you mean? Of course that’s what I want. I’ve been plagued for two years. It’s driving me crazy. I can’t get them out of my mind. Damn it.”
“Do not be so precipitous” said the stranger. “That is how you got into your predicament in the first place.”
I calmed down. “You’re right. “I heaved a sigh. “Of course, I would appreciate any suggestions. What do you recommend?”
“I think you have not gotten to the heart of the matter, the intent of the speaker, the sage as you call him.” he stated. “Otherwise you would not trouble yourself with the words which you do not want or appreciate. Your actions are proof of the truth.”
I didn’t understand a thing the gardener said. “Uh.” was all I could muster in response. I began nodding my head and continued nodding to him as he spoke.
“If you will, it will be done. If it won’t, you will be done. Let it be done.” He stopped for a moment then stood up and slapped me on my back. My entire body shook. When I regained by composure , my mind was clear, the endlessly repeating words had collapsed to nothing and my thoughts were silent. I felt great relief. A warmth flooded my body. Joy entered my heart.
“Thank you. Thank you.” I said.
“It was nothing.” said the stranger. “You did it all.” he laughed.
My mind was joyfully drinking in the freedom and as I looked again beneath the appearance of the stranger I saw the sage.
“It’s you.” I said.
“Yes, kind sir, it is I.” he chuckled. “I felt that since I had been instrumental in the initiation of your problem, I might assist in its resolution. If that was the way it was to be. And so now it is done.”

I was totally astonished. There was nothing to do or say, so I said and did nothing. I just laughed and shook my head in the strangeness, marveling incomprehensibly in the wonder of it all, trying to understand why I was laughing.

Finally the sage spoke, “Say, would you like to hear another saying?”

I looked up and smiled at him, shaking my head.
“No thanks.” was all I said.