The DART
"Three Days More" by Jay Larsen
8/13/00
I love stories. Sometimes I think the most primal thing we do as humans (after eating and finding shelter) is telling and listening to stories. Birds build nests. Bees make honey. Humans tell stories.
Westerners prefer stories with a clear beginning, middle and end. Stories that make it clear who is the good guy, who is the bad guy, and what lessons we should learn from the tale.
But in the East the Zen Masters tell a different kind of tale. These Zen stories tend to be short but not necessarily to the point. You cannot always tell who is the hero and who is the villain. In fact, most Zen stories leave you scratching your head and saying, "HUH?" You are often left with a feeling of knowing less after hearing a Zen story than you knew before the tale was begun. And that is exactly the point.
With lightning strokes, the Zen storyteller attempts to ignite fires of enlightenment within the listener. But then, who is the teller and who is the listener?
One of my favorite Zen stories is "Three Days More." I have attempted to do the story justice by animating it in Flash.
Click here to watch the movie and get your daily dose of Zen
And as always, let me know what you think.
Jay Larsen
Editor In Chief
The DART
jaylarsen@whatdoweknow.com
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