Tooothpick you're close... I'm going to really push you now.

Let's look at what you wrote again...
Oh really?


??? So you ARE being egocentric?

What makes you so SURE the answer is irrelevant??

If the correct answer is irrelevant how come you go on to give an explanation of what the monkey represents and what the boy represents. Surely, if the answer is irrelevant the question is also irrelevant???


Ever heard of the saying, "Garbage in equals garbage out."

If there is "Garbage out." And you are so SURE of this... After all the answer is irrelevant. Why do you have to explain the garbage in as being, "The monkey is the EGO... And the boy is..."

Why not just say the koan may as well read:

Q. jfdksla jfdksfjd eijfdksleijfls ???
A. fkldsk;el kfldskfleokfoe

Garbage in = Garbage out.

You could have stopped here you know... But why didn't you???

What... drove... you... to...try...and...explain...this?

What, what... what, three-letter word is it ____ ?

'_ _ _'

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

I've already explained that my ego did not drive me to explain this.
When I understood the koan, I felt very satisfied. That's a result of the ego. Did I attempt to understand it for the ego? No, I wanted to understand it for myself. The ego being satisfied was a byproduct which I have no doubt everybody experienced.

That means that my ego had no further motivation to make me pursue this koan. It's already gotten all it could out of it. This discussion has absolutely no bearing on my understanding of the koan, and I did not attempt to explain it in an attempt to convince others. Any rejection of my answer does not concern me, and Coldman's compliment did not add anything since I was already comfortable with my understanding.

Now, you tell me... why are you trying to help me understand this koan? Surely it's your ego! Surely you are seeking the satisfaction of proving yourself right and helping another, just as a teacher might feel proud of a student of theirs.

If you accept this, then you understood the koan differently to I, in that I understand that while the ego exists, it doesn't necessarily motivate every action you take. That can be on your terms.

If you deny this, then how do you know your ego isn't just trying to make you prove that you are not using your ego and I am? So you can feel superior?

And if you deny that, then examine your reasoning and I think you'll find it similar to mine.

It seems that during our intellectually stimulating discussion, we forgot that the boys' parents' lives are stake. Do something.

Hello, Monkey.

Anybody take the time to read the entire thread lately? There are so many different personalities here. We've got passive people, aggressive people, the curious, the thinkers, intellectuals, wanna-be intellectuals, killers, buffoons. . .

There are plenty books, resources, and websites that host these sort of koans and I find it interesting that this forum seems to have the most disconnected views of the issue at hand. Anybody have any theories for this? Sure, this is only a silly little puzzle but why such the lack of compassion for a kid's parents? Go check other websites to see if other sites are filled with so many variations of, "Well hell, she or he will die sooner or later anyways. Fuck it." . . . "Eh . . . this is bullshit. None of it matters."

The opposite of ^this is the answer. Compassion is the answer. How many ways can you express compassion?

Have awareness of your actions, but act on them nevertheless. Death is inevitable and you have to accept it, through whichever path you take to do so.

_________________
Journal/Blog: journal-little-panda-vt135329.html

Is that really how you want to progress through life? Ignoring problems?

Where is the 'ignoring' part? I can only see the opposite of that

_________________
Journal/Blog: journal-little-panda-vt135329.html

Think, were you to come across this situation, would you really just blunder forwards given token thought to your actions?

Theres a fucking talking monkey telling the boy about his parents death and your advice is.... "shoot the monkey they die anyway"...

I don't think that would be your real response in this scenario.

Hm . . . I see your point, but those weren't exactly my intentions.
Meaning that you should know the consequences of your actions and be aware of them, and at the same time accept the fact that death cannot be stopped (well, only postponed). But the end of life is inevitable whatever you choose to do in this case. And any other case for that matter.

You should feel how the monkey feels and base your choice on that maybe?

_________________
Journal/Blog: journal-little-panda-vt135329.html

In the real world it is bullshit. Monkeys don't talk, nor do they have magical powers over your parents.

In a mythological world, the rules of the system are whatever they are. You don't know them; you can only learn them by interacting with them.

In a sci-fi world, everyone should automatically do an "identity check" whenever they think they are talking to magic monkeys. "How many aliens have taken over my brain today?" It should be standard survival training at Starfleet Academy.

If you expect realistic, intelligent people to give serious weight to the moral quandaries, pose them in a realistic way. Otherwise we'll call bullshit.

What you think Zen has to say about the Ego as expressed through koans, and student-teacher relations, are not moral issues. From an Existential perspective, harping on these things over and over again is Absurd.

Sorry I'm fairly new to this forum and to PU. I am trying to learn how to PU women suprise suprise!

I didn't really read to find out what this thread was about so please take that into consideration when I skipped to the last comment and read this...



WTF! Is this not the reason why you arn't getting laid in the first place? ^^^^^^^

_________________
"I guess a little small talks in order here now."

"Do I look like a gentleman to you in this shirt and these pants?"

"I know you from some place."

okay, i keep thinking about it.

so far ive came up with that there is no answer because if my mom dies im fucked and if my dad dies, im fucked still. it is impossible to answer, maybe its to mean "dont think?".

If you want a 'real answer', id say my dad, purely because hes older than my mom by like 10years and thats the only justifiable reason i could make as its not like you 'cant choose' as by not choosing your mom will die.

yes this has bugged me ALOT. i dont even know why i care.


EDIT: i just realised, it does not say ME, so i dont know why ive been thinking about it as 'me' for so long. oops.

_________________
"You don't want girls to think you suck dick at fucking pussy"
-Seth (Superbad)

^Thank you for posting that... Seriously...
Good
You get to a point where you think about it... Then think about it some more...Then it hurts... Then you stop caring.

Somewhere in-between not thinking about it and not caring is where you find the ANSWER.

_________________
*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
My Journal
here-vp445642.html#445642

I'm not certain how any of that can really help the boy....

Is the monkey a blessing or a curse? Does he fall into these categories? What does the boy want? What can the boy do to achieve this?... Simple questions lie these can help illuminate the situation.