![]() The solving of a koan demands a supreme effort of concentration and involvement from the student. The teacher here was, of course, nature, who, like the Zen masters, does not provide any statements. As in Zen, the truth was hidden in paradoxes that could not be solved by logical reasoning, but had to be understood in the terms of a new awareness the awareness of the atomic reality. Here we find a striking parallel to the paradoxical situations which confronted physicists at the beginning of atomic physics. It does not use any positive statements, but leaves it entirely to the student to grasp the truth through the koans. This is the only way this school transmits its teachings. In the Rinzai school, the student has to solve a long series of koans, each of them dealing with a particular aspect of Zen. Once the solution is found, the koan ceases to be paradoxical and becomes a profoundly meaningful statement made from the state of consciousness which it has helped to awaken. Now what is the sound of one hand?Īll these koans have more or less unique solutions which a competent master recognizes immediately. ‘You can make the sound of two hands clapping. ‘What was your original face-the one you had before your parents gave birth to you? To a beginner, the Zen master will normally present either this Mu-koan or one of the following two: Remember, you can’t understand Mu through ordinary cognition, you must grasp it directly with your whole being. Then you must demonstrate before me, concretely and vividly, that you understand M u as living truth, without recourse to conceptions, theories, or abstract explanations. What you must do is discover the spirit or essence of this Mu, not through intellectual analysis but by search into your innermost being. Mu is the expression of the living, functioning, dynamic Buddha-nature. This is its background: A monk came to Joshu, a renowned Zen master in China hundreds of years ago, and asked: ‘Has a dog Buddha-nature or not? Joshu retorted, ‘ Mu!’ Literally, the expression means ‘no’ or ‘not’, but the significance of Joshu’s answer does not lie in this. One of the best koans, because the simplest, is Mu. The contemporary Zen master Yasutani introduced a Western student to one of the most famous koans with the following words: They are designed precisely to stop the thought process and thus to make the student ready for the non-verbal experience of reality. The irrational wording and paradoxical content of these riddles makes it impossible to solve them by thinking. Koans are carefully devised nonsensical riddles which are meant to make the student of Zen realize the limitations of logic and reasoning in the most dramatic way. The above links for browser difficulties.Zen Buddhists have a particular knack for making a virtue out of the inconsistencies arising from verbal communication, and with the koan system they have developed a unique way of transmitting their teachings completely non-verbally. r/Buddhism Buddhist cheat sheet! Blue Red Minimal Poster Allĭid the Buddha really say that? Buddhist sūtra/sutta sources "I'm an Atheist/Christian and interested in learning more about Buddhism…" Understand that in our attempt to reduce trolling, questions from new or “throwaway” accounts will be reviewed more closely. What is the actual question, and why are you asking? Please assign link flair for your submissions. Link flair helps other users find your submission. Promoting a personal blog or website? Please see our rules here. Racist, sexist, or otherwise derogatory comments may be removed at the moderators' discretion. ![]() r/Buddhism is not the place for other religious traditions to proselytize their faith. r/Buddhism is not the place for sectarianism. Please place your meditation and drug related experiences in the weekly meditation thread. Please place your submissions about activism at /r/EngagedBuddhism. Please direct your questions seeking medical/psychiatric advice to /r/AskDocs, mental health subreddits or the SuicideWatch hotlines and chat support. We are not here to change anyone's mind on the matter. If you feel the need to discuss it further talk to your teacher about it. Please do not post questions or beliefs about vegetarianism/veganism. Posts with New Kadampa Tradition-supporting content will be removed. No pictures with text, including memes and memetic videos. Posts disparaging other subreddits will be removed. Name calling, harassment or trolling will not be tolerated. Off-topic posts will be removed at mod discretion. We encourage relevant and thought-provoking submissions.įull explanation of posting rules can be found here and may include additional rules not listed in the sidebar. New to Buddhism? The Sidebar has so much to offer you! :) Read Our Posting Guidelines ![]()
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