Working with Koans in Zen Buddhism

Working with Koans in Zen Buddhism

Because words can no more hold the truth than a net can hold water, we use koans. Koans are sayings, or doings, of Zen masters, the patriarchs and Buddha. Take for example the koan: The Sound of One Hand clapping. In its entirety it reads: â€œYou know the sound of two hands clapping. What is the sound of one hand clapping?â€ The obvious, intellectual answer is, No sound at all! But then what is this No sound? In other words, is it just silence?
If one is to work on this koan, indeed on any koan, one must demonstrate its meaning. Explanatory words - such as â€œthe two hands represent duality, the one hand is unityâ€ or â€œthe sound of one hand is the sound of the true selfâ€ - are useless. A teacher of Zen would reject them out of hand, all the while demanding a real response. Words talk about true nature and, as it were, hold it at armâ€™s length. One must become the sound of one hand to be able to give a real response, and in this way see for oneself that the sound of one hand is the full expression of the masterâ€™s and oneâ€™s own awakened state.
Country USA
Author Albert Low
Binding Kindle Edition
Edition 1
EISBN 9780986631832
Format Kindle eBook
NumberOfPages 31
PublicationDate 2011-04-22
ReleaseDate 2011-04-22

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