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The Koan of the Frog

PHennings12PHennings12
edited June 2012 in Arts & Writings
Answer this Koan.

A monk was meditating by the pond with his master one day. While meditating there the monk saw a frog jump into the pond. He asked his master who was sitting beside him how this happened. The master replied: "If you can explain what happens when the pond jumps into the frog then you will have your answer". The monk realized, in that instant, the meaning of his master's statement and then began to meditate some more.

What is the meaning of the master's statement?

Comments

  • 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
    Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
  • PHennings12PHennings12
    Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.
    Correct!! Very good!
  • 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
    Next!
  • jj5jj5 Medford Lakes, N.J. U.S.A. Veteran
    edited June 2012
    Wow! That was very good! I love koans but I don't have very much success with them.

  • ozenozen
    Actually what happens when the pond jumps into the frog is an exercise of imagination, for the pond has no imagination to jump with. Whoops! I used rationality.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited June 2012
    The frog jumped. The pond didn't mind.
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited June 2012
    A meditation shaken with a frogs plop, the teacher swims away, the desciple returns.

    Can someone get hairy palms doing this?
  • ozenozen
    No, but warts are likely.
  • TheFoundTheFound
    u guys don't get it..
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    edited June 2012
    Ozen, you didn't warn that those warts could be so eloquent?
  • 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
    u guys don't get it..
    what's to "get"....?

  • PHennings12PHennings12
    u guys don't get it..
    One things you should understand is that in Buddhism, at least in Ch'an/Zen buddhism, there is a high degree of joking and a sense of humor.
  • lamaramadingdonglamaramadingdong Veteran
    If we are like a frog, we are always ourselves. But even a frog sometimes loses himself, and he makes a sour face. And if something comes along, he will snap at it and eat it. So I think a frog is always addressing himself. I think you should do that also.
    Shunryu Suzuki
  • ozenozen
    Ozen, you didn't warn that those warts could be so eloquent?
    Now that's a koan.
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    .
    u guys don't get it..
    One things you should understand is that in Buddhism, at least in Ch'an/Zen buddhism, there is a high degree of joking and a sense of humor.

    Most of Zen's humour comes from knowing that nothing takes itself more seriously than ones ego. Zen humour points out how truely foolish the ego's believe in itself is.

    If the expression of humour results in the increasing, entrenching, solidifying or hardening of anyones ego, then I would not call it Zen.
This discussion has been closed.