Zen: A Decaying Noodle?
1185 AD
1185 1185
135.45E35.0N
MISC

JAPAN
	"What is Zen?" the disciple asks. "A decaying noodle," the master responds.
	"Where were you born?" the master asks. "Kyoto," the disciple responds, but the master whacks him on the head.
	"How tall is Mt. Fuji?" the master asks. The disciple burps, a much better answer.
	What is the meaning of this curious dialog?
	Well, by one method or another (maybe a whack with a stick) the Zen master would let us know that this question has no meaning, but let's avoid the stick and try to answer it anyway.
	According to tradition, Zen was founded in India by a monk named Bodhidharma, who sat and stared at a blank wall for nine years. It reached Japan in the late 12th century, where it is still most influential, though in the 20th century it has attracted many Western followers.
	Unlike other Buddhists, who believe they must endure many reincarnations to achieve the Buddhist ideal (the notion that self doesn't exist and everything is illusion), Zen adherents believe they can achieve it by a sudden flash of enlightenment, called "satori."
	However, Zen can be a very difficult course of study, for it is not easy for people to get rid of the idea that they exist as individuals. Therefore, in the dialog above, it is the disciple's ideas that the Zen master attacked, though he could just as easily have attacked the disciple's desires and feelings, for they also suggest that an individual exists who is desiring or feeling.
	The notion that he shouldn't have desires can be troubling for the disciple who desires satori, because as long as he desires it, he can't have it.
	Another concern for some is that Zen says good and evil don't exist. In the words of Zen popularizer D.T. Suzuki: "Bad is good, ugly is beautiful, false is true, imperfect is perfect, and also conversely."
	Fortunately, in Japan, where Zen is most popular, it is not called upon to make people behave. In this tightly-knit society, social pressure accomplishes that purpose very effectively.
	In fact, most Japanese care little for these philosophical speculations and would rather use Zen as a tool. In this everyday variety of Zen, the disciple tries to eliminate all thought so he can act without paying attention to critical thoughts that come up in his mind that say, "I'm not trying hard enough," or "What will my boss or teacher think?"
	One way to understand why relaxing your mind might sometimes be helpful is to think about going to sleep. Sometimes the harder you try the more difficult it becomes.