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    Oranges
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    Author: * Lakshmi Ashoka - 1 Post on this thread out of 31 Posts sitewide.
    Date: Mar 19, 2009 - 17:23


    There's this wonderful story about the first meeting between Kalu Rinpoche and Zen master Seung Sahn:

    The two monks entered with swirling robes - maroon and yellow for the Tibetan, austere gray and black for the Korean - and were followed by retinues of younger monks and translators with shaven heads ...

    The Tibetan lama sat very still, fingering a wooden rosary (mala) with one hand while murmuring, 'Om mani padme hung,' continuously under his breath. The Zen master, who was already gaining renown for his method of hurling questions at his students until they were forced to admit their ignorance and then bellowing, 'Keep that don't know mind!' at them, reached deep inside his robes and drew out an orange. 'What is this?' he demanded of the lama. 'What is this?'

    This was a typical opening question, and we could feel him ready to pounce on whatever response he was given.

    The Tibetan sat quietly fingering his mala and made no move to respond.

    'What is this?' the Zen master insisted, holding the orange up to the Tibetan's nose.

    Kalu Rinpoche bent very slowly to the Tibetan monk next to him who was serving as the translator, and they whispered back and forth for several minutes. Finally the translator addressed the room: 'Rinpoche says, What is the matter with him? Don't they have oranges where he comes from?'


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