Posted 5/10/2024 1:08 PM (GMT 0)
Three guys are in a bowling alley, on a lane playing a game.
An elderly Chinese man, dressed in a long silk robe with decorative dragons on it, and wearing a complementary silk hat, walks up and sits down at the lane next to them.
He has brought a bowling ball with him.
He then goes and places the ball down on the floor just short of the foul line on his lane.
He then stands directly behind the ball, facing toward the pins, closes his eyes, starts humming, "hum ... hum ... hum ...," and appears to be concentrating very hard on something, for several minutes.
The guys have been watching all this and are naturally surprised and confused by what he is doing, and one of them calls out, "Hey, old man, aren't you going to roll the ball at the pins?"
"No roll ball," the old man replies. "Use power of mind and Zen to force ball to roll itself down lane at pins and knock them down."
Amazed at his answer, the three guys start laughing uncontrollably.
But the old man just ignores them, turns his attention back toward the ball, closes his eyes, goes into deep concentration again, and all the while humming at the same time, apparently as part of his concentration.
"hum ... hum ... hum ..."
The ball just lays there.
The guys start laughing even harder.
The old man keeps concentrating.
"hum ... hum ... hum ..."
The ball still just lays there.
More, louder, laughter from the guys.
But the old man keeps concentrating and concentrating,
"HUM ... HUM ... HUM ..."
until finally, amazingly, the ball begins to vibrate. Slowly at first, but then faster and faster and louder and louder, until, suddenly, it jumps up an inch off the floor, starts flying down the lane toward the pins, comes down and bounces on the lane, and then skids into the pins, smashing them in every direction, until they are all down! A perfect strike!
The old man then turns toward the guys, folds his arms across his chest, bows slightly, and smiles a huge smile of satisfaction.
The three guys are now, of course, completely astonished, and just standing there, mouths hanging open, totally speechless.
Because it was such a hum-bowling experience.