Ahhh... Watermelon!
Somewhere along the line you've probably heard of this thing called a "Zen Koan"-- a question or statement that cannot be "gotten" by the rational mind.
For centuries, Zen Masters have used them as a way to confound their students' habit of thinking too much -- with the intention of shocking the mind into a state of true awareness.
Appropriate responses to a koan may vary according to circumstances. Different teachers may demand different responses to a given koan on a given day. A fixed answer cannot be correct in every circumstance.
Sound familiar?
The Master -- Zen or otherwise -- is not looking for an answer in a specific form, but for evidence that the student has grasped something beyond duality, beyond mind, beyond all the strategizing and mental static that separates the seeker from the finder.
And now for the moment of truth...
"Where do you get the seeds to grow seedless watermelons?"
If you think you know the answer (or better yet, don't think, but know the answer anyway), click "sign in" below and lay it on me. I'll be giving away a copy of my new book, Awake at the Wheel, to the three people who submit the best answer in any of the following categories:
1. Funniest
2. Most Zen-like
3. Most accurate
All responses will be posted HERE within the next two weeks. Stay tuned.
And now... go eat some watermelon!
Posted by Mitch Ditkoff at July 4, 2008 09:58 AM
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