Actually, Terry Pratchett had another explanation for the sound of one hand clapping: CL. The other hand makes the AP.
On a related note, ‘Mu’ is an interesting word, actually meaning "Your question cannot be answered with a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. A typical example of such a question is “Have you stopped beating your wife yet?” (unless, of course, you actually happen to beat your wife).
Deep questions - (taken from the book Sponging)
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
“On the edge of sleep, I awoke to a sun so bright…”
A thousand? Being deaf, I suppose that even I could guess what that would sound like. The sound of any given group of sounds is very close to ‘AUM’.
Stand outside a big city and listen.
As for the sound of 1 hand clapping? The answer is you shake the hand of the person asking the question. duh duh…
The sound of two hands clapping is both hand working together. the sound of two hands…is Violence.
A bit if wisdom from my dear ol’ dad, Zenmaster Werebear.
Cecil’s column can be found on-line at this link:
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
The column can also be found on pages 49-50 of Cecil Adams’ book «The Straight Dope».
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