Everytime I hear a religious zealot talk about evolution just being a theory I’d like to pull a brick out and hold it over their head and introduce them to the fine theory of gravity.

When Rinzai was a young monk, he tried to do what a young monk did in those days to get instruction he went into his teacher, Obaku, and asked some basic question, like “What is the most essential element of Buddha’s teaching?” But before he could even finish his sentence, Obaku hit him with his stick and threw him out of the daisan room. Three times this happened, Rinzai goes in to ask a question, and each time Obaku hits him. Finally, Rinzai gives up and goes to another teacher, and tells him the story. “What did I do wrong?” he wants to know. I asked a perfectly good question - “What is the essential teaching of the Buddha?” - but that old man kept hitting me? And this teacher looks at him and says, you idiot, you didn’t do anything wrong - that was the answer! So, after this, Rinzai was able to go back to Obaku, give a great shout and hit him back. What did he realize? Questions must stop, answers must stop, thinking must stop. Buddha’s essential teaching? - it all comes down to just being fully, totally present, right here, right now.

http://www.ordinarymind.com/dharma_this.html

I’m not a big fan of Rinzai Zen, but I’m a HUGE fan of the thought that being stupid should be painful, and if it isn’t I’ll gladly volunteer to dish out beatings.