Frustration

*sigh* The more I read of both atheist and religious blogs, the more I think they miss the point entirely.

Asking me whether or not I believe in Tao is like asking me whether or not I believe in the table sitting in front of me. The question is redundant and idiotic. Asking me whether Tao exists is equally idiotic. How might I respond? Verbally, I would likely say "Mu." In person, I would probably pick up a glass and drop it on the floor. Or take a match and set a book on fire. Or wave a flag in the air. Or hit the questioner with a stick. If the questioner doesn’t understand, the question was doubly idiotic.

Yet I see people try to answer the question of whether or not God exists, and they actually answer with yes or no. If they actually understood the question, such an answer would be impossible!

There are several koans along this theme already, so this is hardly original, but I haven’t seen this precise version: The teacher spoke to the monks, saying, "Do you believe in the gods? If you answer yes, then the gods do not exist. If you answer no, then they do. How, then, will you answer?"

Another related quote/koan: "When we understand, there we sit while yes and no chase each other around the circumference."