koan

Definition

A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable or parable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student’s mind leading to satori.

Etymology

From Japanese 公案 (kōan), which was from Chinese 公案 (gōng'àn, “official business”).

Example Sentences

• "Zen, with its absurdist koan, laughs at life much the way the Marx brothers did. What exactly can you make of a philosophical system whose teacher answers the question, "How do you see things so clearly?" with the seeming one-liner, "I close my eyes"?"
• "Gibberish. Or else a koan that Achtfaden isn’t equipped to master, a transcendent puzzle that could lead him to some moment of light."
• "As always the koan “Why, Why am I here, why here” begins in her head, but she beats it back like a housewife with a broom."