CatB.org's Unix Koans
The discovery of the collection of koans known as the
Rootless Root, apparently preserved for decades in the dry
upper air of the Western Mountains, has ignited great
controversy in scholarly circles. Are these authentic
documents shedding new light on the teaching of the early
Unix patriarchs? Or are they clever pastiches from a later
age, commanding the authority of semi-mythical figures such
as the Patriarchs Thompson, Ritchie and McIlroy for
doctrines which evolved closer to our own era?
It is impossible to say for certain. All sides in the
dispute have made much of an alleged similarity to that
venerable classic, The Tao of Programming[1]. But Rootless
Root is quite different in tone and style from the loose,
poetic anecdotes of the James translation, focused as it is
on the remarkable and enigmatic figure of Master Foo.
A newer work, the Unix Power Classic[2], translates the Tao
Te Ching into an idiom similar to that of Rootless Root.
Unix Power Classic may well have been influenced by Rootless
Root, or further research may disclose that they had common
sources.
It would be more apposite to seek parallels in the AI
Koans[3]; indeed, there are textual clues that the author of
the Rootless Root may have redacted certain versions of the
AI Koans. We are also on much firmer ground in seeking
connections with the Loginataka[4]; indeed, it is quite
possible that the unknown authors of Rootless Root and of
Loginataka were one and the same person, possibly a student
of Master Foo himself.
Mention should also be made of the Tales of Zen Master
Greg[5], though the Nine Inch Nails references have cast
some doubt on their antiquity and it is thus unlikely that
they influenced Rootless Root.
That the title of the work was intended as a reference to
the Zen classic Gateless Gate[6] of Mumon, we can say with
fair confidence. There are echoes of Mumon in several of the
koans.
There is considerable dispute over whether Master Foo should
be assigned to the Eastern (New Jersey) School, or the
Western School that grew out of the Patriarch Thompson's
epochal early journey to Berkeley. If this question has not
been settled, it is perhaps because we cannot even establish
that Master Foo ever existed! He might merely be a composite
of a group of teachers, or of an entire dharma lineage.
Even supposing the legend of Master Foo accreted around the
teaching of some a single person, what of his favored
student Nubi? Nubi has all the earmarks of a stock figure,
the perfect disciple. One is reminded of the tales
surrounding the Buddha's favorite follower Ananda. It seems
likely that there was a historical Ananda, but no trace of
his actual personality has survived the euhemerizing process
by which the life of the Buddha was polished into timeless
myth.
In the end, all we can do is take these teaching stories on
their own terms, and extract what kernels of wisdom may be
found there.
The redaction of the Rootless Root is a work in progress, as
the source materials present many difficulties in
reconstruction and interpretation. Future versions may
include more stories as these difficulties are overcome.
(HTM) [1]The Tao of Programming is available on the Web.
(HTM) [2]The Unix Power Classic is available on the Web.
(HTM) [3]The AI Koans are available on the Web
(HTM) [4]The Loginataka is available on the Web.
(HTM) [5]The Tales of Zen Master Greg are available on the Web.
(HTM) [6]The Gateless Gate is available on the Web.
(DIR) ..
(TXT) end-user.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:39 1.5 KB
(TXT) gui-programmer.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:40 1.2 KB
(TXT) hardware-designer.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:40 0.9 KB
(TXT) mcse.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:40 1.2 KB
(TXT) methodology-consultant.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.1 KB
(TXT) nervous.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 0.8 KB
(TXT) oldhand.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 0.9 KB
(TXT) prodigy.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 2.1 KB
(TXT) recruiter.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 0.9 KB
(TXT) returning.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.3 KB
(TXT) script-kiddie.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.6 KB
(TXT) shell-tools.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.1 KB
(TXT) ten-thousand.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.7 KB
(TXT) two_paths.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.9 KB
(TXT) unix-nature.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.1 KB
(TXT) zealot.txt 2021-Jun-14 03:41 1.1 KB
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