The Sound of One Hand Clapping
Can you answer this ancient koan?
What is a koan?
A koan is a paradoxical word, phrase, or story used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the limits of logical thought and to bring about illumination.
One of the earliest and most well-known koans within the Zen tradition is mu-koan. The word mu basically means “not”. It was used in reply to questions when the very act of asking a question in hopes of receiving an illuminating answer is both pointless and absurd.
The very nature of koans is that they have no logical answer. They are a refutation of the very idea that language can capture the essence of enlightenment.
The mu-koan dates back to at least the 13th century when it was included within a collection of 48 koans. The word mu is used in the title of the collection, Mumonkan. Mu was huge in the world of Zen Buddhism.
Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku
It took another 500 years for Zen to produce its most famous koan. It was created by Hakuin…
