Speaking of Zen…
My favorite koan:
Whenever anyone asked him about Zen, the great master Gutei would quietly raise one finger into the air. A boy in the village began to imitate this behavior. Whenever he heard people talking about Gutei’s teachings, he would interrupt the discussion and raise his finger. Gutei heard about the boy’s mischief. When he saw him in the street, he seized him and cut off his finger. The boy cried and began to run off, but Gutei called out to him. When the boy turned to look, Gutei raised his finger into the air. At that moment the boy became enlightened.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Ok, I’ll bite. What is the lesson here?
It just makes me annoyed and angry, and I’m not sure why. Is there something more here than Gutei being full of crap, and somewhat of an asshole?
May 14th, 2008 at 9:50 am
Zen is about (among other things) achieving nothingness. I think this koan illustrates the ideal perfectly.
Don’t be down on great master Gutei. The boy may have lost a finger, but he achieved enlightenment, which is worth any number of fingers a million times over.
May 14th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Well, then I would have to say this post is very Zen.
I still think Gutei is not a good guy. What kind of world would it be if we all spread enlightenment through violence?
I’m still curious if you are serious, or if this is your idea of funny and I just don’t get it. To me, this encapsulates everything that is wrong about organized religion.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Well, I’m not a Zen Buddhist, and don’t aspire to be one, so in the largest sense, I’m not “serious” about this — but I love Zen koans. They’re like surreal thought poems, beautiful and bizarre but really not meant to be taken literally.
In other versions of this story (for example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutei), the boy is more mischievous, which may make you more sympathetic to Gutei’s reaction. Regardless, was this a literal historical event? Probably not.
If you believe in enlightenment, it’s the ultimate aspiration. If you asked the boy (assuming he ever existed), “Was it worth losing a finger to become enlightened?” he’d probably answer something like, “A man has many fingers, but only one path to enlightenment.”
You know I’m down on organized religions, and Zen Buddhism is very far from an organized religion. No proseltyzing, for one thing. In the same way you can enjoy hearing a funny Yiddish joke without being Jewish, or enjoy a beautifully-sung performance of Handel’s <em>Messiah</em> without being Christian, you can also admire a koan without being a Buddhist.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:48 am
It might be helpful if you read some more koans?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_koan
Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.
Ryokan returned and caught him. “You have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.”
The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.
Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon.”
May 15th, 2008 at 11:50 am
Sozan, a Chinese Zen master, was asked by a student: “What is the most valuable thing in the world?”
The master replied: “The head of a dead cat.”
“Why is the head of a dead cat the most valuable thing in the world?” inquired the student.
Sozan replied: “Because no one can name its price.”
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:32 am
Modern-ish day koan:
A man goes to a trade show, and says to the security guard, “I am a world-renowned thief. I will make off with countless riches today.” And the guard was ever watchful, following the man all day, then searching him thoroughly upon his exit that night. But the guard found nothing stolen.
The next day, the man returned, and boasted to the guard, “Yesterday was most profitable, but today, I shall feast mightily upon the hall, and walk away with priceless items tonight!” And the guard was more zealous in his surveillance, following next to the man all day, and searching him meticulously that eve. But again, the guard found nothing purloined.
The third day, the man again returned, and spake, “The second day was exciting, but today will be the best take yet!” And the guard could contain himself no longer. “You truly are a master thief - I follow you tirelessly each day, and search you carefully each night, but never do I find something you’ve taken. Please, I must now, how are you stealing so much when I can find it not?”
The man smiled and replied, “You are looking in the wrong places, and watching the wrong things, for I am not here to steal devices or documents. I am stealing ideas.”
And the guard was so enlightened.