Koans

I have always used the ever popular...

Do Fish have water tight butts?

RyuJin wrote: If a tree falls in the forest and noone is there to see, does it make a sound?

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it except for one man, but the tree falls on that man and kills him, does the man dying make a sound?

Yeah...

Splat!!:laugh:

When prison stocks are iron and have no place for the head, the prisoner is doubly in trouble.
When there is no place for Zen in the head of our generation, it is in grievous trouble.
If you try to hold up the gate and door of a falling house,
You also will be in trouble.

Everyday Life is the Path

Joshu asked Nansen: `What is the path?'

Nansen said: `Everyday life is the path.'

Joshu asked: `Can it be studied?'

Nansen said: `If you try to study, you will be far away from it.'

Joshu asked: `If I do not study, how can I know it is the path?'

Nansen said: `The path does not belong to the perception world, neither does it belong to the nonperception world. Cognition is a delusion and noncognition is senseless. If you want to reach the true path beyond doubt, place yourself in the same freedom as sky. You name it neither good nor not-good.'

At these words Joshu was enlightened.

Mumon's Comment: Nansen could met Joshu's frozen doubts at once when Joshu asked his questions. I doubt that if Joshu reached the point that Nansen did. He needed thirty more years of study.

In spring, hundreds of flowers; in autumn, a harvest moon;
In the summer, a refreshing breeze; in winter snow will accompany.
If useless things do not hang in your mind,
Any season is a good season for you.

There is a comic strip called hole mole ,its a great zen like strip....just thought i'd put that out there