Zen Smiles: A Collection of 50 Humorous Zen Stories

By Rahul Karn

Down the age Zen has conveyed its wisdom through stories. Those stories are very short, but are deep and profound; pregnant with meaning. This book is a collection of 50 Zen Stories which will make you smile!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rahul Karn
• Release date: May 29, 2019
• ISBN: 9780648574415

Rahul Karn

Rahul Karn is a contemporary author on Zen. He is an MBA graduate from the University of Melbourne. He also holds an Engineering Degree in IT. His quest for experiencing the truth himself took him to many spiritual leaders and meditation centers and finally he got peace under the shade of Zen! He has over nine years of experience in meditation. He teaches his friends meditation and thus helps them to celebrate everyday life. He has his own blog and a page on Facebook, called Zensational Stories, where he shares Zen Stories regularly. If you have any queries or you want to discuss something related to your life or Zen, or want to catch up with him in Melbourne, then feel free to contact him on [e-mail].

Book preview

PREFACE

Dear Zen Friends,

Thanks for welcoming the Zensational Stories series.

Though I kept on eliciting your hidden psychology and hurting your religious sentiments, you kept on smiling. So, I thought to come up with a book having collections of those Zen Stories which will make you smile.

Buddha never cracked any joke. But Zen Masters keep on creating humorous situations. Sometimes they look crazy too. But looking crazy is better than being a serious man who never smiles. So, I think the book is very relevant is modern context where people have become very serious in the pursuit of achieving their goals. These stories are very old and have been taken from various old records. But the smile they continue to bring on people’s face is always fresh like dewdrops.

There is another specialty of this work. Unlike other volumes, I have not written any commentary on the stories, because the sound of raindrops does not need any commentary. Thus, this book is equally useful for new as well as old students of Zen!

Should you have any queries, please feel free to mail me on [e-mail].

Have a Zensational time!

Yours Zen Friend

Rahul Karn

Melbourne

20th March 2017

Contents

PREFACE

The Fundamental Idea

The Found Money

Rainy and Sunny Days

A Formal Discourse

The Secret Of Big Belly Laugh

Let It Be

Nostrils

The Meaning

The Laughing Person

No Zen Teachers

Precious

Monk and The Green Color

The Woman At The Inn

Flavors Of Life

The Hearty Laugh

Hell

A Pile Of Dry Shit

Angry Buddha

Solution

Everything Is Still There

The Master’s Smile

Doubt

Solution

Any Question

Sign

Miracle

The Last Rap

Who Are Buddhas?

Half Approve, Half Not Approve

The Complete Entrance

Donkey

Illness

The Question

Perception

Tradition

The Buddha In The Home

Monkey’s Response

Understanding

Archery

People

The Painting

Let Go

Emotion

Mind

The True Self

Imitation

The Strange Advice

Fees

Correct

The Entrance To Zen

What Next?

Bibliography

About the Author

The Fundamental Idea

Someone asked: What is the fundamental idea of Zen?

Zen Master Yun-men: When spring comes, the grass turns green of itself.