Banter: Silly Answer

In Chinese Buddhism, or Ch’an, which later spread to Japan, where it is called Zen, the story goes that a famous master named Bodhidharma brought Buddhism to China in the 6th century. A common koan (a riddle one contemplates to obtain spiritual insight) associated with Bodhidharma is, “Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?”

Then, one day, while I was brushing my teeth, the answer came to me!

He came to find the answer to the burning question, “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

For, (my mind continued unabated) as he was strolling across the fields in ancient India, he spied a slip of rice paper being blown by the wind, and when it came his way he snatched it up. On this piece of paper he saw the question, and just had to know!

‘Somewhere out there,’ he thought, looking in the direction from which the scrap of paper had blown, ‘there must be an answer!’

And so, he made the long hazardous journey (all such journeys being long and hazardous in those days) to China.

But when he got there, he realized that these people knew nothing of the Buddha’s teaching (sometimes referred to as the Dharma), and out of compassion for the people of China decided to teach instead. Consequently, he forgot all about the chicken, until many years later when he was close to death. Then, all of a sudden he recollected the original reason for his quest.

‘I must know!’ He realized.

Hence, when, some time after he died, somebody decided to dig him up (though why that was, I don’t recall), all they found in the grave was one sandal. (Thus, it is said that if you see a man walking wearing only one sandal it could be him.)

And so, here I sit, by the side of the road the chicken crossed, waiting for Bodhidharma, so that I can provide him with the answer to this burning question.

(GRINS)