Edited by Roald Dijkstra and Paul van der Velde
[Topics in Humor Research 10] 2022
► pp. 222–234
In Zen Buddhism humour is used in a soteriological way. Zen masters confront their disciples with (practical) jokes in order to free their minds and discover enlightenment. In this essay, I investigate the humour of enlightenment by first pointing out the influence of Daoist humoristic stories on Zen. Next, three dimensions of Zen jokes are highlighted, namely relativism, the way of cutting through illusion and liberating intimacy. With the help of humour, Zen masters like Linji and the Japanese teenager Satsujo teach their disciples that they should not cling to their views. This relativism leads to an insight into one’s own illusions. Once these false views are literally ‘laughed away’ one can discover a liberating connection with all things.