Tsuyoiko
DON'T PANIC!
- 11 Mar 2005
- 3,060
- 165
- 74
See the wiki article: Koan - Wikipedia
A koan is a statement or question that is used in the pursuit of enlightenment, often as an aid to meditation. Perhaps the most famous is
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Supposedly, koans cannot be understood intellectually or rationally. To study a koan requires something else, perhaps the intuition.
Is there any point to studying koans? Have you achieved any insight from them? Do you have any examples of interesting koans?
I haven't used koans as such, but I like the stories attached to some of them, and the answers students have given. I enjoyed the books Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps and Zen and the Ways by Trevor Leggett.
A koan is a statement or question that is used in the pursuit of enlightenment, often as an aid to meditation. Perhaps the most famous is
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"
Supposedly, koans cannot be understood intellectually or rationally. To study a koan requires something else, perhaps the intuition.
Is there any point to studying koans? Have you achieved any insight from them? Do you have any examples of interesting koans?
I haven't used koans as such, but I like the stories attached to some of them, and the answers students have given. I enjoyed the books Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps and Zen and the Ways by Trevor Leggett.