Specific words and experiences of the ancients that cannot be solved by logic or rational thought.
People of Zen training use them to cut dualistic thinking, awaken to their Buddha nature, and rid themselves of ego.
Perhaps no other aspect of Zen is as puzzling as the Koan.
Koan is not a riddle nor a paradox to shock the mind.
The Koan is an integral part of a system developed over centuries.
There are around 1,700 Koans in existence.
The Koan can question, excerpt from the sutras, word exchanged in a mondo, episode in the life of an ancient Master or another fragment of teaching.
Zen teachers advise that the problem posed by a koan is to be taken quite seriously, and to be approached as literally a matter of life and death.
While there is no unique answer to a koan, practitioners are expected to demonstrate their understanding of the koan and of Zen through their responses.
The teacher may approve or disapprove of the answer and guide the student in the right direction. There are also various commentaries on koans, written by experienced teachers, that can serve as a guide.
These commentaries are also of great value to modern scholarship on the subject.
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