Secular Sangha: A Secular Buddhist Group discussion

Use this thread to discuss 122 Zen Koans.

Here is a link to 99 zen koans: http://ashidakim.com/zenkoans/zeninde...

Discussion question: which koan is your favorite? Please write a description of and/or post the koan(s) that you particularly like.

MJD wrote: "Discussion question: which koan is your favorite? Please write a description of and/or post the koan(s) that you particularly like."

I liked the parable presented in http://www.ashidakim.com/zenkoans/49b... , pasted below:

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49. Black-Nosed Buddha

"A nun who was searching for enlightenment made a statue of Buddha and covered it with gold leaf. Wherever she went she carried this golden Buddha with her.'

"Years passed and, still carrying her Buddha, the nun came to live in a small temple in a country where there were many Buddhas, each one with its own particular shrine.'

"The nun wished to burn incense before her golden Buddha. Not liking the idea of the perfume straying to the others, she devised a funnel through which the smoke would ascend only to her statue. This blackened the nose of the golden Buddha, making it especially ugly."

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To me it seems like a nice little parable pointing to the idea that purely selfish behavior can go against one's own interest.