Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

Personal Koans

Joshu-sDogJoshu-sDog
edited November 2010 in Philosophy
For those of us who have some aspect of Chan/Zen in our practice, do you have any personal Koans that you find useful for contemplation? By personal I mean ones that have originated in your own practice and don't necessarily fall into the realm of the 'Classical' or the 'Traditional'. Perhaps we could share some here.

My personal one, which came to me in Meditation one day:

'What colour is the sky?'

:)

_/|\_

Comments

  • upalabhavaupalabhava
    edited November 2010
    I often ponder, "How to bridge the infinite gulf between beings?" I believe I came to this idea in Pessoa's Book of Disquiet.
  • WednesdayWednesday
    edited November 2010
    Looking at the stars I wonder just how much control we actually have in this world.
  • seeker242seeker242 Zen Florida, USA Veteran
    edited November 2010
    "What is this?"
  • CloudCloud Veteran
    edited November 2010
    A koan is chosen by one who is already awakened to the delusion the koan represents, and is used as a tool or method for guiding another's mind (a student) to a realization.

    The student can not find the correct answer until a key aspect of delusional thinking is shattered by an insight. Then they have an answer to the koan and can explain this answer, through self-knowledge.

    At least this is my understanding of a koan; studied Zen before, but rusty. Now I know everyone knows all that already (I'm not trying to be a bother), but my question is how then can someone just come up with their own koan? Wouldn't that make it... well, not a koan? :) This makes my head hurt!
  • buddhafootbuddhafoot Veteran
    edited November 2010
    A personal favorite of mine - especially at work:

    "What is the sound of STFU?"

    -bf
  • PietroPumokinPietroPumokin
    edited November 2010
    Cloud wrote: »

    At least this is my understanding of a koan; studied Zen before, but rusty. Now I know everyone knows all that already (I'm not trying to be a bother), but my question is how then can someone just come up with their own koan? Wouldn't that make it... well, not a koan? :) This makes my head hurt!
    i think it's like you keep asking this question and it sort of dissolves in your mind and settles in it and it's like you pressing a finger on a button over and over again .... the enlightenment button!!!!! in yer spaceship called your head... ha ha ha ha
    to the point where they are like mantras
Sign In or Register to comment.