Zen Flesh, Zen Bones is a collection of four books in one. If Zen were so non-Zen as to have canon, this book would be such.
The following three passages are Zen works from the second book, The Gateless Gate, a collection koans from the 13th century.
Reflect and become truly aware of your Perl-nature:
# In the light of day,
# Yet in a dream he talks of a dream.
# A monster among monsters,
# He intended to deceive the whole crowd.
package light_of_day;
sub dream {
print "dream";
}
@monsters = ($monster,$monster,$a_monster,$monster,$monster);
if ($intent){
foreach $person (@crowd){
&deceive($person);
}
}
# If the buffalo runs, he will fall into the trench;
# if he returns, he will be butchered.
# That little tail
# Is a very strange thing.
if ($running{$buffalo} eq 'true'){
&fall($buffalo,$trench);
}
$he = \$buffalo;
if ($he && $returns){
&butcher($he);
}
$little_tail = "strange";
$little_tail =~ s/(.+)/very$1thing/;
# When the sky is clear the sun appears,
# When the earth is parched rain will fall.
# He opened his heart fully and spoke out,
# But it was useless to talk to pigs and fish.
for ($when){
if ($sky eq 'clear'){
$sun->appear('now');
}
}
for ($when){
while($earth_is{'parched'}){
&rain;
}
}
open(HEART,fully) . s/(speak out)/&PastTense($1)/e;
sub talk{
$pigs and $fish;
}