05 Dec The Pope and the Zen Master

Posted at 00:49h in Framework by

The Pope asked the Zen master: “Since you are one with everything, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?” The Zen master laughed: “What’s a pin?”

“How many angels can dance on the head of a pin” is an expression from medieval times referring to the philosophical clergy debating pointless topics. Zen masters suffer abstractions gladly as they always provide a good laugh. Zen questions the very basic assumptions we make about the identity of things (e.g., a pin) as everything is forever-changing and interdependent.