--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a relationship like to a crusty Zen…" description: "\"It's a relationship like to a crusty Zen master, or something like that. And it is really like another entity because you cannot predict the answers.\" ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/terence-mckenna-287_answers_it-s-a-relationship-like-to-a-crusty-zen_980625.png" --- # It's a relationship like to a crusty Zen master, or… ![“It's a relationship like to a crusty Zen master, or something like that. And it is really like another entity because you cannot predict the answers.” quote by Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/terence-mckenna-287_answers_it-s-a-relationship-like-to-a-crusty-zen_980625.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/terence-mckenna-287_answers_it-s-a-relationship-like-to-a-crusty-zen_980625.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90c/terence-mckenna-287_answers_it-s-a-relationship-like-to-a-crusty-zen_980625.png) > “It's a relationship like to a crusty Zen master, or something like that. And it is really like another entity because you cannot predict the answers.” [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote likens an unpredictable relationship to a cryptic Zen master, emphasizing mystery and unknowable answers. **In simple terms:** Unpredictable relationships feel like enigmatic teachers. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty in relationships. Themes relationships uncertainty mystery communication Mood curious reflective Type philosophical conversational When to use this quote - personal relationships - creative collaborations - conflict resolution Key Concepts Zen philosophy psychology complexity Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate uncertainty in close bonds? - What strategies help you understand unpredictable partners? A Different Perspective Predictability can be valuable for trust and stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Zen master](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zen-master/) ## Related quotes > [Who are the executives, and what are the stories that are being released? Not just in movie theaters but online. When you watch Master…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-radcliffe/who-are-the-executives-and-what-are-the-stories-that-are-being/) [Daniel Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-radcliffe/) > [“Pretending to care what men think is an art. It takes moments to learn, but lifetimes to master. I’d like to believe I’m an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pretending-to-care-what-men-think-is-an-art-it-takes-moments-to-learn/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’m like the master. 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Jon Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jon-benjamin/) > [The dog without his master was like a body without a soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-eleanor-wilkins-freeman/the-dog-without-his-master-was-like-a-body-without-a-soul/) [Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-eleanor-wilkins-freeman/) > [What are you, Zen Master Fang?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/what-are-you-zen-master-fang/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [Fish sense, applied in the field, is what the old Zen masters would call enlightenment: simply the ability to see what's right there in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gierach/fish-sense-applied-in-the-field-is-what-the-old-zen-masters-would/) [John Gierach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gierach/) > [“He was, in his way, as close to a Zen master as I've ever had, and all of us who fell under his influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/he-was-in-his-way-as-close-to-a-zen-master-as-i-ve-ever-had-and-all/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [ We have been teaching together \[with Kaz\] now for more than twenty years in sesshins, in international travel programs in Japan and China, as… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-have-been-teaching-together-with-kaz-now-for-more-than-twenty/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [The majority of the ten thousand states of mind cannot be discussed. It is rather a question of teaching a person to step outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-majority-of-the-ten-thousand-states-of-mind-cannot-be-discussed/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Activities such as chanting, bowing, and sitting in zazen are not at all wasted, even when done merely formally, for even this superficial encounter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-harold-cook/activities-such-as-chanting-bowing-and-sitting-in-zazen-are-not-at/) [Francis Harold Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-harold-cook/) > [I seemed to recall some words from an old Zen master, something like, "My Zen cuts down mountains." My rejection of Buddhism was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-seemed-to-recall-some-words-from-an-old-zen-master-something-like/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [I vow to live fully in each moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/i-vow-to-live-fully-in-each-moment/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) ## More by Terence McKenna > [History was an incredibly damaging experience, and now it's over . . . in a sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/history-was-an-incredibly-damaging-experience-and-now-it-s-over-in-a/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [The history of man that you don't know is what your unconscious is made out of. 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In other words, being here now is the primary datum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/and-what-is-the-primary-datum-it-s-the-felt-presence-of-immediate/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Our culture difinitely takes an egocentric dominator view. The fear of the psychedelic experience is quite literally the fear of losing control. Dominator types…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/our-culture-difinitely-takes-an-egocentric-dominator-view-the-fear-of/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Every step into freedom contains within it the potential for greater bondage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/every-step-into-freedom-contains-within-it-the-potential-for-greater/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [This is the message of your life and my life - it’s that nothing lasts. Heraclitus said it: Panta Rhei. 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It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. 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