The Universal Wet/Dry Vac of Zen Humor

Just thought I'd share.

I've been reading a lovely -if rather flatly translated- book of zen enlightenment stories called "Zen Antics". Sometimes it's not the published text that really gets you (though this does have a delightful tale of enlightenment achieved through a particularly bad bout of bucket-filling dysentery). But when it comes to a public library book, sometimes the annotations steal the show.

And only because I'm in that mood, here is a short poem comprised only of other people's margin annotations:

non essentials
putting on airs
?

hm..
! image
actions not words

for seven straight days
? who is lost
he brought a lance

nothing is all right so long
as you dont regret it
possum
prepare for enlightenment

Apart from that...best line in the whole book? Why, so glad you asked! Here it is, read it, think it, love it, live it even:

"Imagine a ball of soft, pure, fragrant butter on top of your head."

Them monks shore is kooky ain't they?