The Cone Koan

[Anastasio Luminos]

The Cone Koan

Once upon a time, in a two-dimensional universe not far from ours, a teacher and a student were meditating in the Garden of Known Shapes.

After a long period of time, the student turned to the teacher and said, "What value is there to learning to see beyond what I can see?"

The teacher rose from the ground, then asked, "Which shape in this garden do I most resemble?"

After careful consideration, the student said, "You look like a circle."

The teacher grunted with effort for a few seconds, then asked, "And now?"

The student gasped, then said, "You're a triangle! How’d you change your shape?"

"I didn't change."

The student frowned, then asked, "Are you saying you're still a circle?"

"What do you think the answer is?"

"Well, you had looked like a circle, but now you look like a triangle. You say you didn't change shape, even though you look very different. I'm not sure if that means you're both shapes, or neither shape, or something else." Feeling completely baffled, the student sighed, then said, "To be honest, I have no idea what the answer is."

The teacher smiled and said, "Congratulations. You've taken your first step towards enlightenment."

[Gael]

One should always be careful with zen cones