The Rabbi And The Monk

[Pannapetar]

A nice little story I read some time ago:

A rabbi once met a Buddhist monk. The monk invited the rabbi into his temple, but the rabbi refused saying, "I am not allowed to enter a house of idol worship". The monk asked why. The rabbi answered, "Because worshipping an object is an affront to G-d".

The monk took a small Buddha statue out of his pocket, looked at the rabbi with a calm smile and threw the statue onto the ground, smashing it to pieces.

The monk asked the startled rabbi, "Now tell me, would you do that with your Torah scrolls? If not, who is it that makes idols?"

(Told by Aaron Moss)

[Ben]

Thanks Thomas
Great story!

Ben

[Cittasanto]

it reminds me of a zen story of burning buddha statues.

LOL

can I pinch this story for a blog

[tiltbillings]

That is a good story.

I like this story of the Christian missionary who approaches a Chinese monk who is sitting quietly in a temple and asks of the monk, "What are you doing?" The monk says, "You would say I am praying." The missionary then asks, "What are you praying for?" The monk says, "Nothing." Puzzled, the missionary asks, "Well, then, to whom are you praying?" The monk answers, "To no one." Perplexed, not understanding this at all, the missionary turns to leave and as he is walking away, the monk calls to the missionary and says, "And don't forget, there is no one praying."

I heard this years and years ago. Have no idea of the source.

[Macavity]

I heard this years and years ago. Have no idea of the source.

Perhaps Dorothy Figen, though I don't know where she got it from.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/figen/bl085.html

[Jechbi]

Then there's the one about the rabbi, the priest and the chicken who walk into a bar ...





never mind

[dilexi]

I like this story of the Christian missionary who approaches a Chinese monk who is sitting quietly in a temple and asks of the monk, "What are you doing?" The monk says, "You would say I am praying." The missionary then asks, "What are you praying for?" The monk says, "Nothing." Puzzled, the missionary asks, "Well, then, to whom are you praying?" The monk answers, "To no one." Perplexed, not understanding this at all, the missionary turns to leave and as he is walking away, the monk calls to the missionary and says, "And don't forget, there is no one praying."

I heard this years and years ago. Have no idea of the source.

Was putting off meditating just now. This story made me smile, and laugh, and then want to meditate. Thank you.

-dilexi

[acinteyyo]

I like tilt's and pannapetar's story. made me smile

[gene]

Yes indeed. Both made me smile.
Although the teller of pannapetar's story took some artistic license. I don't think Theravadin robes are capable of concealing buddha statues!

[Tex]

Although the teller of pannapetar's story took some artistic license. I don't think Theravadin robes are capable of concealing buddha statues!

I remember reading on "the other site" a year or two ago the very same story, only the rupa the monk smashed was at the entrance to the monastery (I had pictured the monk picking up some three-foot tall stone Buddha with both hands over his head and smashing it to make a tremendous scene and then very quietly making his point to the aghast rabbi!).

[gene]

Although the teller of pannapetar's story took some artistic license. I don't think Theravadin robes are capable of concealing buddha statues!

I remember reading on "the other site" a year or two ago the very same story, only the rupa the monk smashed was at the entrance to the monastery (I had pictured the monk picking up some three-foot tall stone Buddha with both hands over his head and smashing it to make a tremendous scene and then very quietly making his point to the aghast rabbi!).

lol Texans do like to think big.

Nice anecdote as this story is I hope its circulation won't enourage hot-blooded young buddhists to take up statue-smashing to make a point about Buddhism's stance on idoltry. If I'm not mistaken I read somewhere that destroying images of the Buddha incurs bad karma. The Afghan Taliban was overthrown not long after its destruction of the Bamiyan statues.