"Koans are not puzzles or riddles. There are many koans that are not in the form of questions at all, and many koans that do contain a question also supply an answer. Unlike puzzles and riddles, the koans do not have pat answers. When put to their proper use within genuine Zen schools, koans were not tests of verbal cleverness or quick wits. Zen teachers knew how to use koans to develop their students' level of insight. The student's response to the koan was a way for the teacher to gauge the student's inner state. The real "answer" to the koan is not a sentence or gesture in response to the teacher's question, but the change in the learner's mental state brought about by working with the koan."
This explanation is my favorite. Is there any disagreement as to what a Koan is?
Has anyone ever "solved" the Gateless Gate?
Submitted May 08, 2019 at 05:01AM by WestWorld_ http://bit.ly/2J5glm5
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