Absurdity

One of the ways Zen has been taught is by the use of a series of drawings called 'the Ox-Herding Pictures'. There is a progression of ten Ox-Herding pictures starting with 'Seeking the ox' and ending with 'Entering the market place with helping hands'. This is my favourite;

The Ox and the Man both gone out of sight

I am sure that I am being irreverent, if such a thing is possible in Zen, but the idea of a picture showing a man and his ox having gone somewhere else strikes me as somewhat absurd. You could expand this and create an entire series of drawing, all of different objects which, unfortunately, are not in view at the moment. Perhaps their is an opportunity for me to become a famous Zen artist without actually painting or drawing anything at all.

The absurd relies on breaking the norm, on challenging fixed views, and on surprise.