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Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Show me the face you had before you were blogging



koanA puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.
--Answers.com
A koan is a riddle that isn't intended to be solved. Or at least you aren't supposed to come up with a literal solution. They are used to dope slap you out of your comfort zone and look at things differently. The answer to a koan should therefore be intangible.

Literal people aren't very good at responding to a koan. Ask them what the sound of one hand clapping is and they are likely to say, "Nothing, one hand can't clap." You response should be to immediately smack them across the face and say, "But one hand can slap."

This will probably piss them off, but teaching people how to look at things differently sometimes hurts.

Sometimes I like to approach blogging like a zen koan. It is an opportunity to write, illustrate or compose a thought without relying on traditional structure. And I'll be damned if it isn't a little like meditation for me.

Or maybe it's like a box of chocolates. I sometimes get those things mixed up.
I think this is where I say that is all I have to say about that.

10 comments:

Harmony said...

Now Tim, are you having some sort of spiritual crisis?? On Monday you wanted to be Jesus Christ, today, a Buddhist monk (alright the word monk wasn't mentioned but call it creative license). I can't wait to see who you are going to metamorphose into next....

Hayden said...

next version? I vote for satan.

Time said...

Angel sans wings, Technically I wanted to be Jesus Christ SUPERSTAR. There is a great deal of difference. There are already too many Jesus Christs running around. As for a Buddhist monk, well, as I like to say, "If you meet the Buddha by the side of the road, kill him."

Hayden,
Vote would imply that this is a democracy. And you probably remember my whole "man who would be king" phase. Besides, Satan, is so yesterday.

Kindness said...

Does a gnome have Elvi-nature or not?

BlazngScarlet said...

Speaking of gnomes (and we weren't), I think I have found your 'wandering gnome' .... he's alive and well ....
in my refrigerator.
I'm not kidding.
He's been fairly happy, but the past couple of days? Not so much.
He's pounding the hell out the walls grunting, shaking and well, making ALL kinds of strange noises.
I think it's time he left.
He's cute and all, but it's time to move along now.

Time said...

Kindness...Blaznfyre,
I'm not sure how the gnome wandered into the conversation, but it is definitely non-linear thinking.

Harmony said...

You already are a SUPERSTAR in my eyes Tim....

Time said...

Angel w/o wings,
Bless you my child :)

Steve said...

It would probally the face I wear now.............sigh!

Time said...

Steve,
Don't make me come over there and slap you with one hand. It will make a sound.