Welcome, Our Big Nosed Foreign Friends!

You can’t swing a cat without hitting someone with opposing views.



Daruma went to China to start a new religion. Looking for investors he approached Emperor Wu singing:

“Hey Woo!
If ev’ry Chink buys a shoo
we could be wealthy,
me and yoooo!”

The Ruler of the Liang Dynasty, felt insulted by this racial epithet.
“And where did you get your big nose?” he fired back?
Daruma, thinking this must be some kind of a Koan, answered

“The cool refreshing evening breeze”

That ended the interview. He was politely asked to leave—and never come back.

As he rose, he mumbled the s-word. That’s what some people say.
Others say he used the a-word.
Others, again, were quite sure it was the f-word he kept repeating.

Thus the Origins of Ch’an are shrouded in Mystery.



No matter how many times you kick him, he always gets up again, our hairy, round-eyed friend, the big-nosed foreigner.