Buddhist Illusion Joke

Three Buddhist monks were walking along a mountain path.

The leading Buddhist stopped suddenly and announced, "That looks like dog shit on the path."

The second, middle monk leaned over the pile and announced, "It smells to me like dog shit."

The third monk poked the pile with a finger, then licked his finger. "It tastes incredibly foul. It must be dog shit."

The leading Buddhist monk proclaimed. "The world is an illusion. We must continue on our path to enlightenment. This dog shit, too, is an illusion."

They proceeded. The second monk was unable to avoid stepping in the dog shit.

A few steps further he commented: "I have the illusion of dog shit sticking to my sandals."

Commentary: For a relatively neutral introduction to the subject, see the Wikipedia Buddhism article. However, note that article leaves out the long history of violence and oppression practiced by Buddhists. For my more serious writings on the subject, see my Buddhism page.