Its pretty simple..........................
the monkey dies, the mother dies of a broken heart
the monkey lives, the father kills himself for raising a wuss.

In other words, you make a move or stay a wuss.

Im still thankful for this thread

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I'ma be what I set out to be, without a doubt undoubtedly, and all those who look down on me I'm tearin down your balcony, no if ands or buts, don't try to ask him why or how can he

ultimately, we will all die, the monkey, the mother and father and the boy. the monkey's ultimatum does not change that. no matter what what the choice is, the outcome is always the same: death. so you should do whatever you want, because ultimately the outcome will always be death

the boy's parents are dead.

I gave my monkey a banana. Ooooo ooooohhh Ahhh Ahhh!

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Einstein said: “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.”

First of all; this is a puzzle for humans. There is a problem to be solved.
If the boy kills the monkey: someone dies.
If he doesn`t: someone dies.

What`s the pattern that is repeated? Death.
Here is the puzzle: people dying.

Are you really trying to solve a human natural act? Death in this case is more than just a distraction, it`s and endless debate, something no one knows the ultimate truth about.

Monkey`s statement about death is not a puzzle, it`s just that: an statement.
Other point of view could be that we automatically feel the need to solve the problem by putting outselves in the boy`s shoes.

There is no problem to be solver, nor kid to rescue. Death is the one thing we have for sure in this life.

Can someone tell me if I`m nailing it or this is cheap philosophy?

As far as I can tell this is one of those koans that is used in zen precisely because there is no answer. I haven't read the entire thread (I don't have a week to do so) so I don't know if this was mentioned.

Koans are designed to move you beyond thought because they cannot really be rationally answered. It's fascinating to see how this thread has gotten 50,000 views and is over 30 pages long at this point. It really shows how powerful these kinds of koans can be in provoking people out of their usual patterns.

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I think this line from the wikipedia page on koan says it well:

"The master is not looking for a specific answer but for evidence that the disciple has grasped the state of mind expressed by the kōan itself."

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ANSWER: The young boy dropped acid.

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-Bedrock

"The society that separates scholars from its warriors will have its thinking done by cowards and its fighting done by fools." - Thucydides

Seize the day with love

Sometimes you succeed, and sometimes you learn.

The monkey just states that someone will die, but not WHEN or HOW or like, it's the same as saying we all will die, it's true and just a statement.

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LIFE IS A FUNNY MOTHARFUCKUR. ;3

Perhaps... but more importantly what do you do?

And it is either one or the other. Let us know when you have your answer?

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"If you kill me, your mother will die..." - he's saying she will die, he's not saying when or how, nor is he saying anything about his father there.
The same is here,
"...if you do not kill me, your father will die." - he's saying he will die, not when or how, nor saying his mother won't die.

They both will die, it's just a matter of time when they do.

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LIFE IS A FUNNY MOTHARFUCKUR. ;3

I didn't ask you to explain the meaning behind it... How do you know for sure if the monkey is talking about right now or into the future? What if the monkey is talking about right now.

'If you kill me your mother will die right now!! If you don't me your father will die right now?!'

Are you just going to go on a hunch that the monkey MIGHT be talking about the distant future...

It's a pretty dangerous assumption to make.

Let's say the monkey is talking about right FUCKING now. One of your parents is going to die right FUCKING NOW. You love them both don't you and one is going to die right now...

What do you do?

This time ONLY post when you've made a decision and tell us why?

Start your answer with either:

1. I kill the monkey because...
2. I don't kill the monkey because...

You can do that can't you...Pretty simple thing I'm asking.

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*Justice renders the WEAK his due*
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The boy puts his bow down and starts meditating. Then he comes to an answer and tells the monkey: "I'm not going to kill anyone"

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http://wayoftheplayer.com/become-a-player/instinct

Isn't the point of this to make one realize that doing nothing (i.e. not killing the monkey) is never actually doing nothing. Both action and inaction have consequences. We ought to think about the consequences of inaction before deciding to take the "safe" route and sit an opportunity out.

(Like above posters, I haven't read this whole bloody thread so I apologize if this point has already been made.)