Zen and the Art of Rambling

The title of the post is an oxymoron. Zen as seen its Koans is pithy and seldom stretched in its descriptions. Sample these for starters (more available here) . Don't ask me if I understand these Koans.

What is the Buddha?

Some answers:

• "Three pounds of flax." — Attributed to Dòngshān Shǒuchū (洞山守初) in case 18 of The Gateless Gate
• "Dried dung." — Attributed to Yúnmén Wényǎn in case 21 of The Gateless Gate

The book I am talking of here, my latest read, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' is quite divorced from brevity. The author has rather cleverly issued the disclaimer. :)

However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information related to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles either.

It took me a while to go through the book from cover to cover. To read a comprehensive review that captures most of what has to be said of the book, visit this.

For those bits of insightful remarks scattered throughout the book, I would recommend the book to anyone interested in metaphysical explorations.