Seeing his teacher on the other side of a raging torrent, a Zen student waved his arms and shouted out, “Teacher, teacher, how do I get to the other side?”
The teacher smiled and said, “You are on the other side.”
*
When we laugh, we step back – there’s a liberating space between us and what’s going on – at the same time we merge with the world, inseparable from what’s going on. Sometimes laughter is a moment of surprise, shock or wonder. When we laugh, or chuckle, we let go of the acquisitive self, the possessive ego, and open our minds in a more expansive, inclusive, non-judgmental way. To see the funny side of life is to be mindful of the absurdity, changeability and uncertainty of life – in a positive, affirmative way. When we smile, we are often saying ‘hello’ to someone or to some event – or maybe recognising a familiar trait in someone’s behaviour. We also laugh at surprising paradoxes and contradictions – things that don’t seem to make sense. A joke usually has some element of surprise that offers us a new perspective on things.
When we laugh at ourselves, or at life, we are often accepting that there is mystery and absurdity at the heart of our existence. The definition of ‘absurdity’ includes: ‘without reason’ or ‘ridiculous’ – also implying that there is no rational purpose or pre-determined meaning to the universe. Making meaning and purpose is a human quality that we each exercise as we proceed through life.
Being able to step aside from our everyday perspective is very beneficial – it is evidence of flexibility, receptivity and open-mindedness. Being able to chuckle at things we do, or say, or think, suggests we have an open awareness of our limited perspective and are able to observe and accept other perspectives and views. It seems to me Zen is wise to these understandings and encourages us not to take ourselves too seriously!!
*
A Zen student went to a temple and asked how long it would take him to gain enlightenment if he joined the temple. ‘10 years,’ said the fierce Zen teacher. ‘Well, how about if I really work hard and double my effort?’ ‘In that case, 20 years,’ said the teacher.
*
Smiling Buddha. Many people have observed that in countless images and statues depicting Gotama Buddha, there is often a hint of a smile on his face, an enigmatic wryness to his expression. Maybe he’s smiling at himself and at the absurdities of life and at the inconsistencies and foibles of us human creatures. Perhaps he is quietly chuckling at the endless efforts he has made to achieve ‘enlightenment’ only to realise that awakening is what we do each morning and at every moment of mindful awareness.
*
In a poem probably written on a winter retreat, the Korean Zen teacher, Kusan Sunim, has this to say:
Unaffected by the passage of time
I remain bright and quiet while I sit.
A bowl of porridge,
A plate of wild greens,
And a cup of tea:
It makes me smile. (Sunim 2009: 73 – JD version)
As in countless Zen poems and stories, no matter what inner dramas and conflicts we may be experiencing, in the end Zen practice brings us back to what is here, at hand, the everyday realities of porridge and tea. So often this can bring a smile to our faces as we let go of our troubles, even if only for a moment.
*
For his 70th birthday, one of his students gave a Zen teacher a big box with a ribbon around it. When the teacher opened the box, he found that there was nothing inside. ‘Aha,’ he exclaimed, ‘just what I wanted!’
*
Dictators seem to have little or no sense of humour – they rarely smile – think of Vladimir Putin, the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un – even Donald Trump. They don’t seem to laugh very much and never at themselves! This inability to laugh at themselves is a deep flaw. It means they are unable to step back and see themselves within the complicated tapestry of circumstance, causality, karma and chance that makes up the reality we all face. Maybe because they can’t step back, they remain unaware of their own limitations and weaknesses and are thus unprepared for the day when others, who can see their weaknesses, rise up against them and take power away from them. In this sense an inability to laugh at oneself can be seen as the ultimate weakness. Chuckling at our own personality, at our own habits and quirky ways, might be a great strength we can draw on when times are hard. In contrast to Putin and Trump, think of Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama – two religious leaders who seem invested with the Zen spirit, always laughing, chuckling at each other and at themselves.
*
An aspiring monk asked to enter a Zen temple and become the disciple of a famous teacher. ‘Very well,’ said the teacher, ‘but all students here have to observe a vow of silence. You will be entitled to speak only once every 12 years. After 12 years, the student said, ‘The bed is too hard.’ After another 12 years, he said, ‘The food is not very good.’ After yet another 12 years, with 36 years of hard work and meditation behind him, he said, ‘I quit!’
‘Good,’ snapped the teacher, ‘all you ever do is complain.’
*
In the history of Zen, as depicted in paintings, the figures of Hanshan and Shide stand out. Known as Kanzan and Jittoku in Japanese, they are almost always pictured smiling – looking dishevelled, mischievous and happy in their own skins. Hanshan, or ‘Cold Mountain’ is a famous Tang dynasty (618-907) poet and Shide was a kitchen worker in a monastery near to where Hanshan lived as a hermit. Shide’s name, means, ‘foundling’ or ‘pickup,’ and he is reputed to have stolen scraps of food from the monastery kitchen to give to Hanshan who was always hungry. Their friendship, obliviousness to the usual codes of social behaviour and status, and their sheer good spirits, have been seen through the centuries as emblematic of Zen.
*
The composer, John Cage, tells a story that makes me smile – it epitomises the absurdity at the heart of daily life: ‘My grandmother [who was very religious] was sometimes very deaf and at other times, particularly when someone was talking about her, not deaf at all. One Sunday she was sitting in the living room directly in front of the radio. She had a sermon turned on so loud that it could be heard for many blocks around. And yet she was sound asleep and snoring. I tiptoed into the living room, hoping to get a manuscript that was on the piano and get out again without waking her up. I almost did it. But just as I got to the door, the radio was turned off and Grandmother spoke sharply, saying: “John, are you ready for the second coming of the Lord?”’
*
A student went to see his meditation teacher and said, ‘My Zen practice is terrible! I am distracted most of the time, my legs ache and I am constantly falling asleep. It’s awful.’ The teacher said, ‘No worries. It will pass.’
A week later, the student came back to his teacher and said: ‘My meditation is wonderful! I feel so joyful and alive!’ The teacher replied: ‘No worries. It will pass.’ (Conway 2007)
*
Bodhidharma, the fearsome monk who is reputed to have brought Zen practice to China, is known as Daruma in Japan. As one of the founders of Zen we might assume that he is treated with great seriousness in the popular culture of Japan. In fact, he is depicted as a gourd-shaped figure known as a ‘Daruma-doll’ – often played with by Japanese children. The doll is weighted at the bottom and if it is pushed over, it immediately comes upright again. Daruma was said to have been so stable in his meditation that if someone knocked him over, he would bounce back to an upright position.
*
A Buddhist monk in his orange robes goes up to a hot dog seller and says, ‘Make me one with everything.’ The hot dog man, chuckles. The monk bows, says ‘thank you,’ and walks away, smiling.
*
Despite the seriousness of its discipline and an emphasis on hard work as meditation, there is a lightness and humour at the heart of Zen that is very unusual among the philosophies and religions of the world. Zen practice involves learning the art of relaxing one’s hold on one’s thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs – opening up to the everchanging realities of life and to the everyday absurdities that make life such a rollercoaster of experiences. Being able to stand back and laugh at oneself and the doings of ones’ fellow creatures is a great gift that seems inscribed into Zen practice. So, don’t take things too seriously, see the funny side of life, have a chuckle from time to time.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Blyth, R. H. 1964. Zen and Zen Classics; Volume 2. Tokyo: The Hokuseido Press.
Conway, Timothy. 2007. Zen Humour. Online at: https://www.enlightened-spirituality.org/Zen_Humor.html – accessed 20 April 2025.
Loori, John Daido. 2002. The Art of Just Sitting: Essential Writings on the Zen practice of Shikantaza. Boston: Wisdom.
Sunim, Kusan. 2009. The Way of Korean Zen. Boston: Weatherhill.
Watts, Alan. 1989. The Way of Zen. New York: Vintage Books.