ok..someday in may... merle
Merle, As Bill! writes, in reply to your request or challenge to phrase the story as a koan, well, it's seldom done, although some teachers are like a "living Lin Chi", and teach in a way so that situations on retreat, say, are used as koans for the whole group. This is a great way of teaching because it is very effective in advancing peoples' practice. My teacher taught this way sometimes: it knitted us together as group powerfully in the seven or ten days, practicing on retreat. Of course any of us can write up something to look like a koan or serve as a koan. We're free to do anything of the kind. Now, in the Buddha's story about the cliff-hanger and the berry, what could we say? What could we pose? Maybe the story is already "set to go" as a koan. Provided we know how to work with it. But, can we make it clearer?, for the practitioner, about what to work "on"? That would be very important. Perhaps someone can also write a verse for the koan, as is traditional. Someone might also like to write a Teisho on the Case. I did a similar thing here once on the Forum, and made a koan for Edgar. You may search for it at the group website if you don't remember it. There's a classical koan that has the key line, "Every day is a good day." In the present story about the cliff-hanger and the berry, we could add, "...and in this case, a good day was had especially by the Tigers!" There's humor in this suggestion, but it should also be serious enough for Mr. Suresh to find value in it, if he'll look. And generalize from this, about the serious value of a light and lively spirit. (like 86-Proof Gin?). ;-) Merle, please make the story into a koan and post it here, too. Thanks! --Joe > Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote: > > yes so get cracking ...let's have the koan!!!!!!!!!! merle
