meatball koan

200 Zen masters gather for Big Mind meeting at Hilton Hotel.
hotel's top chef is from Argentina and speaks no Dharma.
somehow Zen diet instructions become lost
in translation and chef serves meatball sandwiches
to 200 Zen masters.

master from Shaolin bangs table with fist,
says, "meatballs bad for kung-fu!"
master from Daitokuji waves whisk in air,
says "only hungry ghosts eat meatballs!"
master from Marin County draws enso on napkin,
says, "not-eating meat is vegetarian no-mind."
master from Korea slams stick on table,
says "only don't know meat!"
master from Vermont clasps hands in gasho,
says, "meat is emptiness, emptiness is meat."

200 Zen masters begin debating karma of ingesting meat.
soon a food-fight spontaneously arises from the Void.

Master Kong walks into hotel kitchen and says to chef from Argentina,
"very good meatball sandwich! I'll have another one to go."

chef bows to Master Kong and Hilton Hotel disappears.