This little ditty was originally intended to appear in the next issue of the zine I occasionally put together (called raz), but since the "next issue" was supposed to be completed two years ago, I thought I'd put this up here:
There is a famous Zen koan:
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
While Zen riddles are not really for answering, the concept of "om" comes as close to an answer as we might allow.
An experiment in om:
1. Hold your hand in front of you.
2. Make a fist.
3. Examine your fist: What does it look like? What is the texture? How does it feel? What ideas does it invoke? etc.
4. Keeping all these ideas and feelings about your fist in your mind, hold your fist behind your head.
5. With your fist behind your head, and your ideas about your fist in your mind, slowly unclench your fist until your fingers are outstretched.
If you did not hear the sound of one hand clapping,
don't be a mourner.
Enlightenment is simply around the next
straight-a-way.
m3 |
