Papanca!

[retrofuturist]

Two monks and a flag

Two monks were arguing about the temple flag waving in the wind. One said, "The flag moves." The other said, "The wind moves." They argued back and forth but could not agree.

Unable to resolve their disagreement, they approached the abbot, to seek a resolution.

The abbot said, "Monks, it is your minds that are moving! Quit with the papanca monkey chatter and get back to your meditation"



Metta,
Retro.

[Ben]

Retro,
Did you make that up?

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Ben,

Retro,
Did you make that up?

Like all good stories, it borrowed heavily from other stories.



http://www.101zenstories.org/enos-flag/

Metta,
Retro.

[Ben]

Hmm...
I think I will go and meditate before the proliferation begins...

[bodom]

One day this monk told Ajahn Chah the Zen story about the flag and the wind, and asked: Is it the flag that blows or is it the wind?" Ajahn Chah answered: "It's neither; it's the mind" The Korean monk thought that was wonderful and immediately bowed to Ajahn Chah. But then Ajahn Chah said he'd just read the story in the Thai translation of Hui Neng.

http://www.amaravati.org/fsn/html/09/9.htm

[m0rl0ck]

I like this story too

The topper to it was delivered by a chinese nun.

http://buddhism.about.com/od/whoswhoinb ... iaoxin.htm

[christopher:::]

One day this monk told Ajahn Chah the Zen story about the flag and the wind, and asked: Is it the flag that blows or is it the wind?" Ajahn Chah answered: "It's neither; it's the mind" The Korean monk thought that was wonderful and immediately bowed to Ajahn Chah. But then Ajahn Chah said he'd just read the story in the Thai translation of Hui Neng.

http://www.amaravati.org/fsn/html/09/9.htm