Sam Harris

Personally, I don’t think it was a Zen master.  He or She would more likely have bashed the scorpion with their staff, then whacked the disciple for good measure.   

There is, however, a related sufi story about Jesus walking with his disciples when a man cursed him.  Jesus responded by repeating a prayer for the man.  A disciple asked: “How could you pray for somebody who curses you.”  Jesus replied “I could only spend what was in my purse.”  So perhaps the Zen master was operating under a similar restriction.

Silly me, I thought the parable (the frog/ scorpion version is the one I’ve heard most often)  was that one shouldn’t judge another for acting in accordance with one’s nature. Or to utilize unsmoked’s DVD/mirror metaphor, the scorpion’s nature or DVD player, or perceptual translator causes it to act in accordance with its design.
I liked your metaphor unsmoked.
It reflects the latest research in ‘mirror-neuron-systems’ in mammalian brains—(no mention of amphibians or arachnids having this capacity). This area of the brain (F5) could be analogous to unsmoked’s DVD player in that it suggests that we mirror back that which has been observed whether we engage in the observed behaviour or not. Perhaps the MNS is merely one DVD player among several in the brain…

PS: I loved your “play” unsmoked.

Since we are talking about Zen masters, etc., I like the story told by the CIA guy on “Charlie Wilson’s War” -

A young man gets a horse as a gift, and the villagers say “isn’t that good” -

The Zen master says, “we’ll see.”

Then the young man falls off the horse and breaks his leg, and the villagers say “isn’t that bad.”

The Zen master says, “we’ll see.”

Then war breaks out, and the young man doesn’t have to go to war because of his broken leg - the villagers say, “isn’t that good.”

The Zen master says, “we’ll see.” Etc., etc., etc.

Maybe Zen masters just have a problem with commitment.

isocratic infidel - 26 May 2008 07:11 PM

I thought the parable (the frog/ scorpion version is the one I’ve heard most often) was that one shouldn’t judge another for acting in accordance with one’s nature

My take on the frog/scorpion story (which I have only come across in Idries Shah’s books) is that it may be a fatal mistake to allow kind-heartedness to cloud your judgment.

isocratic infidel - 26 May 2008 07:11 PM

PS: I loved your “play” unsmoked.

Made me laugh out loud, can we have another one?

Bruce Burleson - 26 May 2008 07:46 PM

The Zen master says, “we’ll see.” Etc., etc., etc.

Maybe Zen masters just have a problem with commitment.

Come on Bruce you love all that Zen/Sufi stuff, admit it.

mesomorph - 01 June 2008 07:06 PM

. . . it may be a fatal mistake to allow kind-heartedness to cloud your judgment.

“A flash of feeling can chain you indefinitely.” - Zen