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How wise is my wife?

theinnerselftheinnerself
edited May 2010 in Meditation
I was sitting meditating on the koan "before the heaven and the earth was created what was I" and decided to ask my wife the question and she replied "orange juice, can I have one?". Her answer amazed me as she does not practise meditation and I am starting to think that she may be closer to nivana than me.

Comments

  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited May 2010
    She could be a zen master and I wouldn't know because I have such trouble understanding many of their replies. :D
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited May 2010
    "If a man is talking in a forest, and his wife is not there to hear him, is he still wrong?"
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited May 2010
    Fed If he were right there would be no one to smack for being right. So I don't think so :p
  • DeshyDeshy Veteran
    edited May 2010
    I think what she meant was that the question is totally irrelevant? In that sense then yea, she is probably closer to the truth

    orange_juice.jpg
  • baggbagg
    edited May 2010
    federica wrote: »
    "If a man is talking in a forest, and his wife is not there to hear him, is he still wrong?"

    Hadn't heard that one. A classic.
  • LesCLesC Bermuda Veteran
    edited May 2010
    I always say my wife is more Buddhist than I, in so many ways, compassion, kindness and love she beats me hands down. And she too talks in riddles... well I don't understand at any rate!!! Hmmm... could she be a Zen Master too??
    :)
  • VekinVekin
    edited May 2010
    Is there any criteria that makes a response to a koan any better than another? As far as I can tell as long as you're so ridiculously random it makes your teeth hurt you did a good job.

    I don't think zen will ever be for me.
  • dennis60dennis60
    edited May 2010
    :bigclap::bigclap::bigclap:
  • aMattaMatt Veteran
    edited May 2010
    Vekin wrote: »
    Is there any criteria that makes a response to a koan any better than another? As far as I can tell as long as you're so ridiculously random it makes your teeth hurt you did a good job.

    I don't think zen will ever be for me.

    :lol: So far all of the koans I've seen seem to be about getting out of the head and into experience.
  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited May 2010
    a wife is as wise as a kite is the sky that flies in the life of the wife that is wise
  • theinnerselftheinnerself
    edited May 2010
    My wife knows very little about zen, I haven't even tried to explain it. When I asked her the question I was totally expecting her to try and rationalize an answer but she did the exact opposite without so much as a hesitation.

    I am still in shock :confused:
  • FoibleFullFoibleFull Canada Veteran
    edited May 2010
    Yup, she's a "keeper".
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited May 2010
    Vekin wrote: »
    Is there any criteria that makes a response to a koan any better than another? As far as I can tell as long as you're so ridiculously random it makes your teeth hurt you did a good job.

    I don't think zen will ever be for me.

    Yes, the criteria is the state of mind that the teacher senses in the student when giving the answer. So technically, 2 students could give the exact same answer and one could be correct while the other could be incorrect.:D
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited May 2010
    the inner self wrote: »
    I was sitting meditating on the koan "before the heaven and the earth was created what was I" and decided to ask my wife the question and she replied "orange juice, can I have one?". Her answer amazed me as she does not practise meditation and I am starting to think that she may be closer to nivana than me.

    Total Zen master. :D
  • lightwithinlightwithin Veteran
    edited May 2010
    Vekin wrote: »
    Is there any criteria that makes a response to a koan any better than another? As far as I can tell as long as you're so ridiculously random it makes your teeth hurt you did a good job.

    I don't think zen will ever be for me.

    Koans and the responses to them, also completely baffle me. I also see them as utter randomness and I don't think I understand them well at all. I still am very interested in Zen tho because this is the first tradition I was exposed to and it just seems to appeal to my simple mind.
  • pegembarapegembara Veteran
    edited May 2010
    LesC wrote: »
    I always say my wife is more Buddhist than I, in so many ways, compassion, kindness and love she beats me hands down. And she too talks in riddles... well I don't understand at any rate!!! Hmmm... could she be a Zen Master too??
    :)

    Some people are closer to the Buddha/Dhamma than even Buddhists are and that is an observation.
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