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| | | Book Name: Zen - The Solitary Bird, Cuckoo of the Forest | Previous Next | |
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SAY THAT IN THE BEGINNING WAS NOT THE WORD, BUT SILENCE. IS NOT SILENCE THE BEGINNING, THE END, AND THE CONTINUUM BETWEEN BEGINNING AND END?
Yes, a thousand times yes. I have been speaking about the Bible, which says, "In the beginning, there was the word." Now that is sheer nonsense. How can the word be of itself? Somebody has to utter it. And what is a word if there is nobody to understand it? It becomes just a sound. But what is a sound if there is nobody to hear it?
Certainly the Bible is wrong. In the beginning was silence, in the middle it is silence, in the end it is silence.
Silence is the very soul of existence.
Before we enter the silence, because it is an arduous journey to be in your very innermost core -- arduous and unknown and forgotten -- a few laughs will prepare you. I am using laughter to create a preparation for you to dive deep into silence. After laughter, it is simpler.
Ace psychiatrist, Dr. Feelgood, is waiting impatiently for the first patient of the day. Then in walks a beautiful young brunette.
Feelgood suddenly pounces on her, rips off her clothes and makes wild, passionate love to her. When he is finished, he stands up and says, "So, that takes care of my problem -- now, what is yours?"
"Our great athlete, Ivan Ivanovitch," says the Russian radio announcer, "has just smashed all existing records for the two-hundred-yard dash, the high jump, the long jump, the mile run, the five-mile run, and the marathon. He overcame a blizzard, a range of mountains and complete lack of water. Unfortunately, our great athlete's performance was in vain. He was captured and brought back to Russia!"
Kowalski is not feeling well, so he goes to visit Dr. Bones. Bones gives him an examination, makes a few tests and then says, "Mr. Kowalski, you are a very sick man. In fact I would say that you have only two weeks to live."
"I see," says the Polack. "Is it okay with you, Doc, if I take the last two weeks of July?"
Whenever Ronald Reagan gives a speech, his wife Nancy is always sitting nearby. And always, just as Ronald stands up to speak, Nancy passes him a small note.
Everyone is
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