this is so zen!
While reading the story, I picture kungfu kid's master telling his student off with eyes half open, sitting on a meditation mat, legs crossed and all, giving his answer, "twenty years!!"
My view on this:
when it comes to realization, the higher our desire, the harder it is for us to gain the realization. This is because this desire is a form of attachment to the 'realization', which present itself as obstacles. The more the student 'want' it, the more obstacles (inner and outer) he will face. Hence the guru's answers.
