There ain't no answer. There ain't gonna be any answer. There never has been an answer. There's your answer.
—Gertrude Stein

Three men happened to notice a fourth standing at the crest of a high hill and wondered what he was doing there. The first man said, "He must have lost his favorite animal." The second said, "No, he must be looking for his friend." The third said, "He is just enjoying the cool air up there." The three continued discussing and arguing until they reached the man on the hill. The first greeted the man and said, "O friend, have you lost your pet animal?" "No sir," answered the man, "I've not lost any." The second then asked in the man was looking for his friend, and again the man said no. The third man asked if the man was there enjoying the breeze. Again, he said no. Finally the three said, "What, then, are you standing here for?"

"I just stand," said the man.
—Zen story

One day Chao-chou fell down in the snow, and called out, "Help! Help me up!" A monk came and lay down beside him. Chao-chou got up and walked away.
—Zen mondo

Without leaving my house, I know the whole universe.
—Lao-Tsu

# posted by Gerry Canavan @ 12:57 PM  |