From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kim Jones
Sent: Saturday, April 12, 2014 5:37 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Thompson's Answer: Sound of One Hand clapping
Excellent! I would have delivered the arrogant bastard a knee to the groin
as well. That, however, would have been an irrelevant side issue, though and
not germane to the question, in the manner of Lateral Thinking.
Instead... I believe breaking another human being's eardrum is a little harsh...
even for an arrogant bastard. It would have been funny if he had not broken
his eardrum though.
A different perspective perhaps on Zen.... Recalled from Dr. Suzuki's
excellent books on Zen (which I highly recommend to anyone wanting to get an
idea of the history and actual teachings of Zen (Chán) as it evolved through
its birth in China brought their by monks and travelers from India.
Anyways... paraphrased from old memories from when I was more into it (still
meditate though - it is woven into how I live life -- and practice Qigong
for health balance)
Once a disciple traveled the mountainous wilderness to a remote monastery
where there taught a famous Zen abbot somewhere in China many centuries ago.
The disciple finally made his journey to the monastery and at the shared
evening meal posed his question to the Zen teacher... O wise sage what do you
think of the teachings of the Siddhartha Gautama [the Buddha]
To which the Zen sage replied, "They [the books] should be thrown onto the
dung heap"... then quite possibly slapped the foolish monk over the head to
wake him up.
Chris
Kim
On 12 Apr 2014, at 9:31 pm, Platonist Guitar Cowboy
<[email protected]> wrote:
Thompson's take on a Buddhist he knew, which you'll take with a huge grain
of salt, as with everything he writes. Just a small theological anecdote, if
you will. :-) PGC:
"I knew a Buddhist once, and I've hated myself ever since. The whole thing
was a failure. He was a priest of some kind, and he was also extremely rich.
They called him a monk and he wore the saffron robes and I hated him because
of his arrogance. He thought he knew everything.
One day I was trying to rent a large downtown property from him, and he
mocked me. 'You are dumb' he said. 'You are doomed if you stay in this
business. The stupid are gobbled up quickly.' 'I understand' I said. 'I am
stupid. I am doomed but I think I know something you don't.' He laughed.
'Nonsense' he said. 'You are a fool. You know nothing.' I nodded
respectfully and leaned closer to him, as if to whisper a secret. 'I know
the answer to the greatest riddle of all,' I said. He chuckled. 'And what is
that?' he said. 'And you'd better be right, or I'll kill you.'
'I know the sound of one hand clapping,' I said. 'I have finally discovered
the answer.' Several other Buddhists in the room laughed out loud, at
this point. I know they wanted to humiliate me, and now they had me trapped
- because there is no answer to that question. These saffron bastards have
been teasing us with it forever. They are amused at our failure to grasp it.
Ho ho, I went into a drastic crouch and hung my left hand low, behind my
knee. 'Lean closer,' I said to him. 'I want to answer your high and
unanswerable question.' As he leaned his bright bald head a little closer
into my orbit, I suddenly leaped up and bashed him flat on the ear with the
palm of my left hand. It was slightly cupped, so as to deliver maximum
energy on impact. An isolated package of air is suddenly driven through the
Eustachian tube and into the middle brain at quantum speed, causing pain,
fear and extreme insult to the tissue.
The monk staggered sideways and screamed, grasping his head in agony. Then
he fell to the floor and cursed me. 'You swine!' he croaked. 'Why did you
hit me and burst my eardrum?' 'Because that,' I said, 'is the sound of one
hand clapping. That is the answer to your question. I have the answer now,
and you are deaf.' 'Indeed' he said. 'I am deaf, but I am smarter. I am
wise in a different way.' He grinned vacantly and reached out to shake my
hand. 'You are welcome,' I said. 'I am after all a doctor.' "
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============================
Kim Jones B.Mus.GDTL
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0450 963 719
Landline: 02 9389 4239
Web: http://www.eportfolio.kmjcommp.com
"Never let your schooling get in the way of your education" - Mark Twain
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