The Moth Koan

Catching a moth in my hand I release it out the window, such a delicate thing.
My friend asks, "How can they fly, they're nothing but snot and dust?"
I reply, "How can they not fly, they're nothing but snot and dust!"

Two Peaches

Two peaches in the bowl in the Guest House

One is pure and perfect, ripe and ready to eat

The other is beginning to go, spots of decay and mold

I pick up the pure one, and consider what's left behind

Someone will have to eat that defiled one

Guess the good one is going back in the bowl…

A Rotten Cherry

Not so far gone that you'd notice, maybe a little too soft,

popped into my mouth and then spit in to the compost.

Reconsidering, I dig it out, chew till it's gone.

It still tastes mostly like cherry.

The Fly Koan

The Zen Master asked the beginner, "How does a fly navigate in the wind."

The beginner, thinking he is clever, answers with another question, "How does a person navigate the sea of life and death."

The master replies, "It is helpful to know which way is North."

After some time and consideration the beginner writes to the master, "The fly is one with the air, it knows no more of wind that you or I know of the earth's roation"