Dig this Zen story

Dig this old zen story I used to like.

Category:

People & Blogs

Tags:

• field
• tiger
• strawberry
• mice
• zen
• wisdom
• two
• cliff
• vlog

[brapr]

You,re right. The best way to serve strawberries is with tigers after you, swinging from a wine with mice gnawing it. This is the only way you will realize how sweet the strawberry is. Otherwise you wouldn't even notice it.

The real ending of a story is that the man gets killed after all.

We all have that coming, no need to live in a fairytale. All you can do is to see how sweet the strawberry is. Just stop running away.

[StLennyBruce]

The problem is I actually tried serving them this way at my last dinner party, and it was a bloodbath.

But, like I always say after a bloodbath, Live and Learn!

(Bears maybe?)

[1PATRI0T]

Thanks for being "share-ie" for a bit :)

What bothers me about the zen story is: why didn't he feed the strawberry to the mice? They may have given up on the root, he may have been able to hang on long enough for the tiger above to leave, and then he may have been able to climb back up... And spend the rest of his life eating all the strawberries he wanted!

...the "precipice"... "black and white"... "gnawing" at "the root"... wow. great story.

[StLennyBruce]

I think I just figured out why it weirds me out that he ate the strawberry. Because...I thought Zen Folks were supposed to be all "Eat when you're hungry, and sleep when you're tired." Well, in this story it seems like he's might be eating the strawberry for other reasons.

But I liked what you said, too. I think he shoulda started lobbing the rats at the tigers and let nature work it out.

[1PATRI0T]

PS: It's called "spontanious" combustion, not "internal" combustion. Just a FYI

[djadvance22]

Hey, you talk like I do in videos! Really disjointedly, slowly, and stallingly! Hip hip for personality flaws!

[zenlogo]

The story is about living in the moment.

About enjoying the moment.

The tigers are adversity and life's problems, chasing in your head.

The black and white mice are the ying and yang of life

.

(right and wrong, good and evil are western concepts)

[EpicXXProductions]

crackwhore

[boogpatton]

It's an old Zen Koan first published in the west in a small book called "Zen Flesh Zen Bones" by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki. The Tigers represent "shit happens", the vine represents faith, the mice represent the opposites (right vs. wrong) and the strawberry, enlightenment.

[1PATRI0T]

@StLennyBruce and I remember... you. Where you been? Well - welcome back :)

[StLennyBruce]

@1PATRI0T I remember when I first read this comment, and died laughing! Internal combustion... lol... jeez.

[brapr]

If they realized how sweet the srawberries are, then it was worth it.

:)

[greener99]

Is possible that the moral of the fable is "even in the face of impending doom, go ahead and enjoy the fruit"???

No that can't be it... I think I'll go "Internally combust" now!!!