Susan, one of the residents here at Labaree House in Mystic, is renowned for making large sandwiches. So when I saw her this morning eating a very modest breakfast sandwich, I had to ask what was on it. "Oh," she said, "Just jelly and butter. It is a very Zen sandwich."
"I've never heard a sandwich described as Zen," I said.
"Yeah," she said, "Usually my sandwiches are... what's the opposite of Zen?"
I gave my answer, but I wanted to ask you, friends:
What is the opposite of Zen?
4 comments:
Trick question: Zen can't have an opposite. Zen philosophy is about realizing that all things are essentially interconnected, and any false dualisms that we create are just a result of our inability to realize this about the world. Therefore, if Zen were to have an opposite, that would be destroying the very idea of Zen. Paradoxically, maybe that means that anything is the opposite of Zen, since any opposition to Zen negates the idea of Zen.
I was going to try to think of a witty answer to this before I read Joel's comment. Sigh... :P
I said "American," but I like Joel's answer: The opposite of Zen is the opposite of Zen. How very Zen.
I am the opposite of Zen.
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