Nansen's Cat

[Guest guest]

Once, when the monks of the Western and Easter Halls

were quarreling about a cat, Nansen holding up the

cat, said, “If you monks can't speak a true word (a

Zen truth) I will kill the cat” No one could utter

that word, so Nansen killed the cat.

 

Josho returned to the temple later, and Nansen told

him the story. Josho took his sandals off, put then on

his head and walked off. “If only you have been here I

could have saved the cat,” shouted Nansen

 

Why did Nansen kill the cat? This is probably one of

the strangest koans there is. The wanton killing of an

animal is a horrible act. How can we find a rational

explanation?

 

The story reminds me of another cat koan, a scientific

one, this is a quantum theory thought experiment.

Quantum theory postulates that the simple act of

observation changes quantum reality, until observed;

particles are only a probability function and have no

actual value. So a live cat is placed in a box, with

some poison gas in a sealed container and an atom of

uranium. If the uranium decays the particle will hit

the container, which will release the poison, and kill

the cat. The theory goes that the act of decay will

remain as a probability until we open the box and,

therefore, is our observation that will kill the cat

or not.

 

Did Nansen kill the cat? Or did the cat die because

the monks had selves that were observing. Does

anything change or exist when there is not a you (as

an observer) watching? When the observer drops off is

there doing or doer? You decide.

 

Best wishes,

 

Pete

 

 

 

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