Re: come to think of it,

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: : : : : : : : : : : : : The finger points at the moon. The dog barks at the finger. He does not see the moon. : : : : : : : : : : : : WISE MAN ONCE SAY: man who stand on toilet seat is high on pot. : : : : : : : : : : : HAR! : : : : : : : : : : Har-de-har-har! : : : : : : : : : : Har-e Krishna! : : : : : : : : : : Har-lequin Romance : : : : : : : : : : Har-bor Island : : : : : : : : : : Har-i kari : : : : : : : : : : what is the sound of har clapping? : : : : : : : : : Ah, but you have hit on a true koan. Mine is not really a koan, but a zen saying. : : : : : : : : : What is the sound of one har clapping? Hmmmm... : : : : : : : : A certain master requires that all who study under him come in for an interview prior to study. At this interview the master asks only, "why have you come." : : : : : : : : Students answer what they think best. Then the master beats them with a stick. : : : : : : : : Lesson: This time you lose. : : : : : : : "Master, I have come to be beat with a stick." : : : : : : Your answer sounds like the only workable one, if the object is to not be beaten. : : : : : Ah....but I think the object IS to be beaten with a stick...in fact, to a pulp if necesary. : : : : Yeah, i think if I actually said that, he'd probably beat me harder to make me regret being so smart. Zen is a wonderful thing. It is completely practicable, if only our faith was lived in this way. It could be. : : : why do we always think we are so important? Perhaps the concept of real humility is one that is foreign to Americans and American Christians. The fact is we do sometimes lose and we ought to learn this heartily. Maybe we need more stick beatings. I'm game! Anyone want to beat me? : : Sure. I'm game. I thought, since the lesson is "you lose", that the master will not placate your desire. Therefore, if you tell you desire to be beaten, he will not beat you. And I agree completely about zen. Pure contemplation. : Yeah, that's actually right. The only catch is that my response is the witty western one which perhaps would not cross the mind of one who actually sought teaching from this master. Then again, since zen can be practiced by anyone my response may be valid. Since zen is about original response and sees it as the only thing that defines being, such silliness would likely be considered wise insight. There are other stories of such tests designed to evoke original thought. Funny, wisdom from fools...where have I heard that before?

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