A couple times during the movie, Gus refers to "the story of the Zen Master" but never gets to tell it. He does finally get to tell the story near the end of the film. The exchange takes place at night on a balcony outside a party. You can see it on Youtube here.
"There's a little boy.
On his 14th birthday, he gets a horse. Everybody in the village says, How wonderful, the little boy got a horse! The Zen Master says: We'll see.
Two years later, the boy falls off the horse and breaks his leg. Everyone in the village says, How terrible! And the Zen Master says: We'll see.
Then, the war breaks out and all the young men have to go off and fight, but the boy can't, because his leg's all messed up. And everyone in the village says, How wonderful."
Tom Hanks: "And the Zen Master says, We'll see."
Gus: "So you get it."
Hanks: "No. [shakes head] 'Cause I'm stupid."
Gus: You're not stupid, you're just in Congress. Rebuild the roads, restock the schools...
Hanks (interrupts): I'm trying...
Gus: Well, try harder.
Hanks: I took support from $5M to a billion. I got a Democratic congress in lockstep behind a Republican president...
Gus: Well, that's not good enough, because I'm gonna give you some confidential information. The crazies are rolling into Kandar like it's a f--g bathtub drain.
Hanks: Jesus, Gus, you could depress a bride on her wedding day.
Gus takes Hank's drink out of his hand and pours it on the balcony.
Long silence.
Gus: Listen to what I'm telling you.
Tense silence.
Hanks leans forward and gives Gus a short hug. "You've done a hell of a job for the son of a soda pop man."
Gus: ..We'll see.
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A reviewer has noted that around this time we hear a jet over the Washington night time skyline, which may be meant to symbolize the future 9/11.
There is a scene yet to come where Hanks does, in fact, talk to colleagues about post-war financing for humanitarian aid in Afghanistan but his colleagues shy away from any allocation of budget.
