Only the Gold

Ep. 7 Once there was a man of ch'i who wanted gold. At dawn he put on his coat and cap and set out for the market. He went to the stall of a dealer in gold, snatched his gold, and made off the police caught him and questioned him. "why did you snatch somebody else's gold, and in front of so many people?" the man replied: "at the time when I took it I did not see the people -- I only saw the gold." Season 1 Acharya says that laughter is "the very essence of Zen." And though the theme of this series is meditation - watching, remaining alert and aware - as the only way to truth, Acharya encourages us to, "be happy and meditation will follow." There is a wonderful chapter on laughter, Hotei the Laughing Buddha, and enlightenment. As Acharya says, "This is the whole effort of all the masters: to create a sudden clash of thunder so those who are fast asleep can be awakened."