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Zen Stories
Destiny
During a momentous battle, a Japanese general decided to
attack even though his army was greatly outnumbered. He was
confident they would win, but his men were filled with doubt. On the
way to the battle, they stopped at a religious shrine. After praying
with the men, the general took out a coin and said, "I shall
now toss this coin. If it is heads, we shall win. If tails, we shall
lose. Destiny will now reveal itself."
He threw the coin into the air and all watched intently as it
landed. It was heads. The soldiers were so overjoyed and filled with
confidence that they vigorously attacked the enemy and were
victorious. After the battle, a lieutenant remarked to the general,
"No one can change destiny."
"Quite right," the general replied as he showed the
lieutenant the coin, which had heads on both sides.
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