Here’s a fresh one for you: John stood next to an old oak. “Master,” he said. “I’ve been pondering this tree. I’ve come to understand that this tree and myself are one and the same.” “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, my son,” the master said. “This tree is my mother-in-law.” And he moonwalked away.
Tag Archives: koan
Nansen kills the cat
Here is a koan that I quite like called Nansen kills the cat from the Mumonkan or The Gateless Gate. I have taken it from the dewdrop.org. Once the monks of the eastern and western Zen halls in Master Nansen’s temple were quarrelling about a cat. Nansen held up the cat and said, “You monks! If one ofContinue reading “Nansen kills the cat”
Koans
According to Google, a koan is “a paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment.” Here’s a fresh one for you. John put on his hat.He was surprised to find it was actually a dog.The master said, “It isn’t a dog or a hat.”“Oh,” said John. “I see.”
kevinwarstadt.com 