That Tail Stuck In The Window

[Guest guest]

A Zen koan goes:

 

" An ox came in through the window,

but its tail got stuck. " How could the main

bulk of an ox pass through a window and

its most insubstantial part get stuck? The

window, here, represents consciousness;

the body of the ox represents manifestation;

the tail, represents the Void or the Absolute.

 

To mistake the window for the tail, is like

mistaking a mirror for our own face. We can

hardly blame those who take the window

for the tail. Imagine staying in a small dark

room with a very dirty window all your life,

and then one night an ox with a luminous tail

comes crashing in shattering the dirty glass.

All of sudden, the window is dazzling with

light. The tail itself remains invisible. Naturally,

we could think the window is no other than

light itself.

 

Pete