clapping
Original: clapping on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Panel 1:
Student monk: WHAT IS THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING?
Panel 2:
Student monk: BUT MASTER THERE IS NO SOUND. HOW CAN—
Master monk: WHEN YOU REACH A HIGHER LEVEL OF ENLIGHTENMENT, YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWER.
Panel 3:
Caption: MANY YEARS OF MEDITATION LATER...
(A monk sits alone in meditation on a mountain peak.)
Sound effect: HONK HONK HONK HONK
Panel 4:
Student monk (now older): WOW! IT MAKES A HONKY NOISE! I NEVER WOULD'VE GUESSED!
Master monk: THE BUDDHA REALLY LIKED GEESE.
Sound effect: HONK!
Votey:
A simply drawn man says: GEESE ARE THE MOST ENLIGHTENED HONKY CREATURES.
Student monk: WHAT IS THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING?
Panel 2:
Student monk: BUT MASTER THERE IS NO SOUND. HOW CAN—
Master monk: WHEN YOU REACH A HIGHER LEVEL OF ENLIGHTENMENT, YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWER.
Panel 3:
Caption: MANY YEARS OF MEDITATION LATER...
(A monk sits alone in meditation on a mountain peak.)
Sound effect: HONK HONK HONK HONK
Panel 4:
Student monk (now older): WOW! IT MAKES A HONKY NOISE! I NEVER WOULD'VE GUESSED!
Master monk: THE BUDDHA REALLY LIKED GEESE.
Sound effect: HONK!
Votey:
A simply drawn man says: GEESE ARE THE MOST ENLIGHTENED HONKY CREATURES.
Alt text
A four-panel comic. Panel 1: Two robed monks walk through a lush green forest; one asks, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" Panel 2: A close-up of the two bald monks. The student says, "But master there is no sound. How can—" and the master replies, "When you reach a higher level of enlightenment, you will find the answer." Panel 3: Captioned "Many years of meditation later...", a lone monk meditates atop a mountain peak against a yellow sky, with the sound "HONK HONK HONK HONK" written across it—implying the one-hand clapping sound is actually a goose honk. Panel 4: The now-older student exclaims, "Wow! It makes a honky noise! I never would've guessed!" while the master, gesturing, deadpans, "The Buddha really liked geese." A "HONK!" sound floats nearby. The joke: the koan's secret answer is literally a goose honk. Votey: A crudely drawn smiling man under a speech bubble states, "Geese are the most enlightened honky creatures."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.