A Zen Experience

On a crocodile's smile he meditated. It wasn't exactly a koan but he had lost his book on koans on his way here without having opened it. Determined to make the most of his visit to the Zen gardens he happily settled for his own challenge. “Why does a crocodile smile?”

Taking a deep breath in, preparing to ponder on this self-generated koan in the pleasant gardens, he realised it was somewhat of a weird concept to meditate on. Perhaps “Is a crocodile's smile a smile?” would be more appropriate.

He wished he'd at least read one koan before loosing the damn book so he would have a clearer idea on how koans are meant to work. And why a crocodile? Couldn't he have thought of something more poetic? A crocodile?! What's next, meditating on hippos, blob fish or yeti crabs? How ridiculous can one's thoughts get?!

Abruptly opening his eyes, he saw the neatly organised garden, his frustration rocketing. Perhaps it wasn't his day to start meditating. Zen gardens are quite sterile anyway.