Koans vs. "Stoner Thoughts" (cartoons)

Alden (World of Weed, Jan. 31, 2020); Crystal Ike (pinterest.com); Sipress; Dan Piraro (bizarro.com); Stivers; Crystal Q., Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I've never been stoned, but I'm totally a Stoner.

Zen kōans are questions, stories, or statements, often part of ancient dialogues, that provoke the "great doubt," much like stoner thoughts.

They can be used to test a student's progress in Zen. Wait. What is "Zen"? The word is the Japanese attempt to pronounce jhana (Sanskrit dhyana, Chinese Channa) which means "meditative absorption."

IMPONDERABLE: "incomprehensible, unthinkable, surpassing thought, beyond rational comprehension, impenetrable, transcending the limits of thinking; not to be pondered or be driven mad."

Stoner Thought meme collection (pinterest)

It is not an imponderable nor a stoner thought, though it may sound like one, like, "Why do we have fingers, fingertips, and toes -- but no 'toe tips,' yet we 'tiptoe' but don't 'tipfinger?" or "How many zombies would Rob Zombie rob if Rob Zombie could rob zombies?"

STONER THOUGHTS

Control Your Thoughts (Zen Toons)

1. If you drop soap on the floor, is the floor clean or is the soap dirty?

2. If I buy a bigger bed, would I be left with more bed room but less bedroom?

3. When you compete with yourself, do you come in first place or last?

4. If life is unfair to everyone, does that mean life is actually fair?

5. At some point, your parents set you down and never picked you up again.

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When is the Eternal Now? (Stivers)

6. If you clean a vacuum, do you become a vacuum cleaner?

7. Ice cubes float in a pool of their own blood.

8. If you tried to fail and succeeding, which did you actually do?

9. Are gingerbread men made of house or is house made of men?

Positive outlet? (Rino Piccolo)

10. Do pets name their owners?

11. Which came first, the plant or the seed?

12. If the word tomb is pronounced "toom," and womb is "woom," shouldn't bomb be "boom"?

13. Right now, you are both the oldest you have ever been and the youngest you will ever be. More

ZEN AWARDS: "Thanks" (Bizarro)