Things you stumble across

[erudito]

How many Zen monks does it take to change a lightbulb?
Two. One to change it and one not to change it. (p.178)

I came across a discounted copy of Bones of the Master: A Journey into Secret Mongolia by George Crane while bookshop trawling with monstah in Carnegie.

It is the story of the 1959-60 escape of Tsung Tsai, a Chinese-Mongolian Ch’an monk from

Comments

[kenshi]

So, the Dalai Lama goes to New York and walks up to a hot dog vendor.

"Make me one with everything," he says.

He gives the vendor a twenty and receives his hot dog. The vendor turns to his next customer.

"Hey! What about my change?" says the Dalai Lama.

The vendor turns back to him and says,

"Change comes from within."

Giggle

[erudito]

That's a good one.

One of the minor themes of the book is a bit of gentle rivalry between the Tibetan and Ch'an traditions.

Tsung Tsai was apparently very impressed in his meeting with the Dalai Lama (He is wonderful, pure, very beautiful monk), but the Ch'an tradition clearly regards the Tibetan Lamas as tending to be show-offs.

(The joke is, of course completely wrong. The Dalai Lama is a vegetarian.)

Re: Giggle

[kenshi]

d00d. That's why it's funny. ;-)

[splodgenoodles]

Please may I borrow it?

Sure

[erudito]

Yes, I will bring it to Festival, since I am unlikely to be car-mobile before you leave.