It's a take on a story about King Solomon, from the bible. Two women came to King Solomon (alleged to be the wisest man alive at the time) to settle a dispute over a baby. Both women claimed the baby was theirs, so Solomon proceeded to cut the baby in two, and divide it between the two women in order to settle their dispute. Only one of the women protested, revealing who the mother really was. Okay,,now I'm leaving for sure,,lol.
I still like my answer. It shows deference, which proves they have stopped arguing and that the argument, itself, is no longer important. -BlkBks
What's your take on the "If a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?"
I believe it does not make a sound. We are directly involved in the reality-making process. So a hypothetical falling tree does not a sound make. -BlkBks
Ah yes, what is the sound of one hand clapping? That's an easy one. The sound of one hand clapping is the same as the sound of two hands clapping, but only half as loud.
To take it even further, the sound of one hand clapping is only 1 third as loud as the sound of three hands clapping. But if you can make the sound of three hands clapping, I would suggest to you that figuring out the answer to this koan, or any koan, is the least of your problems.
When a zen master--or even a zen minor--asks you whether or not a tree falling in a forest makes a sound if no one is there to hear it, it is possible that they are trying to get you to question your own idea of what qualifies as "someone." By that, I mean, what about the animals living in the woods, or the insects? And even beyond that, what about the other trees in the forest? Maybe the question is designed to lead a person to consider that they might be biased when it comes to deciding what does and what doesn't possess consciousness. Maybe everything has its own sense of hearing--its own way of being. And really, how could it not? After all, All is one, I guess. So, the answer to the question might well be: The question makes no sense, for it is like asking, "If a man screams in a room full of people, and no one is there to hear him, will he make a sound? Sometimes, the answer to a koan is not a verbal answer at all, but rather, a look of puzzlement or disbelief at the contradictory nature of the question. I always know when I've struck on the correct answer to a koan and mention in online because very soon afterwards, several Shoulin priests dressed in black show up at my door. When I answer, they ask me how it's going, and they make small talk about the weather, and then say something like, "It would be a shame if all the years that people have put into creating teaching tools had it all taken away because of a big-mouth, wouldn't you agree?" And they even call me by name, which I must tell you is more than just a little unnerving. Then I say something like, "Why yes, yes it would, come to think of it." And they say, "Lucky we don't have to worry about that happening . . . ever again. Isn't that right, Mr. Storch?" Of course, having seen every episode of Kung Fu, I know what these fuckers can do . . . even blindfolded, and none of them are wearing blindfolds!! So I say something like, "I understand completely." Then . . . wait a minute, somebody's at the door. God I sure hope it ain't . . . FUCK!
Anybody ever read "Grist for the Mill" where Ram Dass talks about going on the Zen retreat and the day that the koan under study was "How can you discern your Buddha Nature from the sound of hands clapping?"
if it were me, I would eat the mice and say, "how sweet the mice taste!". Then the strawberry would explode.
Very good, e7m8. But you'd better brush up on your Kung fu, although my guess is that there's no time for that. How fast can you run, cuz them fuckers are fast, too.
"How can you discern your Buddha Nature from the sound of hands clapping?" You can't, and certainly shouldn't. If you can, then you're missing something. You're split, man!
KeithBC, I hate to be the one to tell you, but if you answer another's answer to the koan, you've really missed the point.
