I am noticing how many good buddhist dharma teachers are in fact hilarious – timing and delivery and laser-sharp observations, like the best standup i’ve ever heard – and some very funny writing.
Paradox is the crunchy nugget of buddhist practice. The practice is trying (while not trying!) to get your head around the “yes-but-no”. Once you’ve got that down, nirvana is in the bag. Paradox is the yin and the yang. Everything is always its opposite. How is black white? How is right wrong? How can I be unique yet interdependent? How are we alive after death? How are we dead while still alive? How can a particle be a wave, how can an electron exist in two places at once? If I don’t exist then who the hell is creating my illusion of reality? Waiter – there’s a fly in my soup!Â A moose walks into a bar. Ha! The situation is not what we thought, and the result is not what we expected.
That’s what a joke is: a reversal of expectation. Things are not what they seem, and the punchline you expect is not the punchline you get. It’s a one-two punch, give your head a shake.
Which is why I think dharma teachers are often so funny â€“ it comes with the territory. Really, it is all just one big joke.
And if you want to hear some funny dharma talks go to: www.lamamarut.org