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Achieving enlightenment

higuita

11:44 / 08.09.01

Was told this story by my prof in the second year of my philosophy degree - wanted to know what you chaps thought of it.

There once was a buddhist master, who had achieved enlightenment. He had a number of pupils, who came to him for instruction and whenever they asked him, 'master, what is the secret of enlightenment' he said nothing and simply raised his index finger.

This perplexed the students but, one day, a student thought he had the answer. When he asked, 'master, what is the secret of enlightenment' once again, the master said nothing, but raised his index finger.

The student similarly said nothing, but also raised his index finger... whereupon the master drew his sword, and cut the student's index finger clean away from his hand.

The student ran from the room, screaming and clutching his finger. But at that moment, he achieved enlightenment.

Gypsy Christ

03:40 / 17.09.01

o_0 things not need to be intmidated

kinda like oreo cookies and the generic kind..

Suffocate

03:53 / 17.09.01

*cracks his knuckles*

The key to enlightenment is thinking twice about extending your finger.

*nods and bows*

Saint Keggers

14:00 / 17.09.01

Are you sure it was the index finger the student raised? Cause if it was another one it would explain a lot.

Magic Mutley

15:33 / 17.09.01

Sounds like a Zen koan - you're not supposed to understand it as such, but the effort of trying to do so turns your brains to enlightened mushy peas. There's another one about a Zen master who meets another master on the road. He doesn't know what to say, so he punches him in the face.

There's a whole load in a book called "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones" - you sometimes see a copy in second hand bookshops.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

15:40 / 17.09.01

Great. Buddhism by way of Guns N Ammo. The Zen of being a violent prick.

SMS

00:04 / 18.09.01

The student wasn't thinking for himself. Each person must become enlightened by his own path.

Suffocate

01:07 / 18.09.01

Maybe the terrorists were just enlightening America by cutting off two of its fingers.

SMS

05:34 / 18.09.01

It didn't work.

000

16:34 / 18.09.01

Mr Y your name, why did you pick your name to be Y? Member 210=3 8-9-2001 the date is the 8. the time is 2;44= 8 that stand for La/Y\La. Y who is closed between the even numbers, unity can not be reached by the even number only if you have 3 can you come to unity, the 1 in the middle brings unity of the 2 outer sides combined. Meaning the father the son and the holy spirit in the middle, the woman is the spirit that drives the man to do what he does. It’s the mother who keeps the father and son united, she united god with his son. Her name is Y. Also known as lilith or better Layla or BETTER said the first Eve. Adam And Eve were gods in their own right, they were the first man and women.

Cavatina

07:59 / 19.09.01

Really, Laila, as Dryden would have said, what 'a good lump of clotted nonsense'.

mr.y - Suffocate had the right answer? The student learnt that the key to enlightenment is suffering - ?

Will you tell us the comments that your prof. subsequently made about this story?

[ 19-09-2001: Message edited by: Cavatina ]

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