Fiction for Artists, presents--
Universal Particle .com
Subtexts
TO BE TAKEN with a grain of salt.
Provided he makes and wins an argument about Buddhism with those who live there, any wandering monk can remain in a Zen temple. If he is defeated, he has to move on.
In a temple in the northern part on Japan two brother monks were dwelling together. The elder one was learned, but the younger was stupid and had but one eye.
A wandering monk came and asked for lodging, properly challenging them to a debate about the sublime teaching. The elder brother, tired that day from much studying, told the younger one to take his place. "Go and request the dialogue in silence," he cautioned.
So the young monk and the stranger went to the shrine and sat down.
Shortly afterwards the traveller rose and went in to the elder brother and said: "Your young brother is a wonderful fellow. He defeated me."
"Relate the dialogue to me," said the elder one.
"Well," explained the traveller, "first I held up one finger, representing Buddha, the enlightened one. So he held up two fingers, signifying Buddha and his teaching. I held up three fingers, representing Buddha, his teaching, and his followers, living the harmonious life. Then he shook his clenched fist in my face, indicating that all three come from one realization. Thus he won and so I have no right to remain here." With this, the traveller left.
"Where is that fellow?" asked the younger one, running in to his elder brother.
"I understand you won the debate."
"Won nothing. I'm going to beat him up."
"Tell me the subject of the debate," asked the elder one.
"Why, the minute he saw me he held up one finger, insulting me by insinuating that I have only one eye. Since he was a stranger I thought I would be polite to him, so I held up two fingers, congratulating him that he has two eyes. Then the impolite wretch held up three fingers, suggesting that between us we only have three eyes. So I got mad and started to punch him, but he ran out and that ended it!"
MODERN MAN, Homo sapien
hardware + software—circa.1758
by Carl Linnaeus (Editor) 7.4 billion customer reviews
Completing this purchase constitutes
acceptance of the end-user License Agreement. *
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Brilliant!
By J. Thomas on July 7th, 1987
Exquisite shape, radial symmetry extending from central core to arms + legs,
seamless craftsmanship we've come to expect from Nature. Hardy and
adaptable to a variety of climates / terrains / psychological stressors.
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—Highly recommend!
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It's Okay.
By C. Abraham on Dec. 12th, 1986
Not the most conducive design for channeling Spirit, but it'll do.
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Needs Software Update.
By F. Benjamin on Sept. 9th, 1987
Suuuper laggy... like, grandma on staircase slow.
Waiting for "Conscience 1.0" to come out.
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Dual-processing is a scam - tried running "Metabolism" and
"Cupcakes-Warrior" apps simultaneously: crashes every time.
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Faulty Model??
By M. James on Mar. 3rd, 1988
Anyone else having inconsistent trials with motor vehicles?
* Terms and Conditions of End-User License Agreement:
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By making this purchase you agree to release Shamazon.com and associated partners from any liability-related issues related but not limited to moral hazards, safety violations, workplace hygiene and/or environmental concerns by the accidental or deliberate misuse of this product. Shamazon.com is not responsible for the misplacement of car keys, cellphones, television remotes, photo IDs, lighters or kitchen accessories. Battery life may differ according to usage.
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* Your Silence He Sings
--"when the bird sings close to the music of what happens,"--
The title is a line from a poem by Emerson, and the epitaph another, from Seamus Heaney.
The idea, "transparency, a trascendental kind of color," is a line from a story from G.K. Chesteron's Poet and the Lunatics,
and we'd always wanted to write a story around it. Franky's knapsack draws obvious allusions to Japan's Doraemon, as well.
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Hmm, what else? Birds --do-- build their nests on top of waterfalls, look it up. Oh, and lures are for catching fishermen.
The exchange with the monk is inspired by a zen joke, which Cole finds hilarious.
Strange, given his stunted sense of humor. (CA: "Hey.") --We've attached it below:
EXCHANGING DIALOGUE FOR LODGING
* The Anti-Communist Manifesto
--They don't see the past. They hear it.--
First, a moment of appreciation for the inspiration of this address, —Then We Came to an End, a modern classic, we're sure of it, by Joshua Ferris, and second, a note to say that the address does not reflect the opinions of everyone on this board, who might argue for its execution on a smaller, village-level scale, as seen through some religiomonastic arrangements.
* Shadows of a Nightmare
--The Politician, Part I --Idol of the Cave--
The first in a four-part series, featuring the Gang's arch-nemesis, the Politician. Each entry revolves around the four idols, as introduced by
Sir Francis Bacon in the sixteenth-century, --
Idol of the Cave, on the limitations of individual perception,
Idol of the Tribe, on the limitations of the human experience,
Idol of the Marketplace, on the limitation of social constructions, such as language,
Idol of the Theater, on the limitation of beliefs and worldviews.
* Death at the Door
--A Puzzle--
Each of us solves the puzzle according to our design, in the following order—
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Cole, by logical reason.
(who attaches a conditional so that Death cannot answer unless it satisfies both clauses, thereby creating a third, "silent" response.)
Jeff, by symbolic substitution.
(who also introduces a "silent" response to a three-choice question.)
Maddie, by semantics.
(i.e. linguistics, modern "philosophy")
And Franky, by, um, Wikipedia.
This puzzle is much too clever for our own conceiving, and we must thank the original poster, as well as four popular responses we
found on 9GAG -- from users germux, themadus, and thefruitbox -- from whom we appropriated to fit into this schema of our personalities.
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* Horror of the Stains
--??????????????????????--
