Where does the rain come from?

Jerry, who handles our rat population, told me that on some days the rats will eat the poison and on others they will not. Jerry knows everything about controlling pests and probably should be given a Ph.D. in the subject. I asked him why the rats are such inconsistent eaters. I was shocked when he said, “I don't know.”

I went out in the rain, befuddled by this apparently simple koan that any three-year-old can answer (it sadly turned out that my two three-year-olds were, unfortunately, way beyond their ages).

Out in the rain, I couldn't tell where the rain was coming from—but I could feel that I was getting wet.

The Color of Wind

Koan:

What color does the wind have?

There was a Korean koan teacher who'd give his students the answer to the koans and they'd then have to find their way to that answer themselves. When I became the wind moving the green leaves all became clear. Now I'm waiting for rain, hoping I can feel where the rain comes from, my next koan.

The Body and Function of Wind

Koan:

Distinguish the body and function of wind.

He said, “you are very unsparing with yourself.” Then I told my wife that 1) I am not the one in my works. I create a being who responds to life in his own way. It is only personal in that it is my creation and 2) when I became the wind I was quickly freed from the little boy being scolded. In truth, my wife of 56 years doesn't really scold me. She simply asked, “Did you mean to leave the burner on?”