Questions tagged [koans]
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16 questions
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History of Mumonkan versus Blue Cliff Record
I've been looking around online for an answer to this question, but have come up empty handed. My understanding of The Blue Cliff Record is that it's a collection of famous cases compiled from the ...
- 440
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How to do the Koan study?
I want to work on the Koan,'What was your original face before you were born' and 'Who am I',How do I go about it.
Should I constantly ask myself this question? Should I write it down?
How is the ...
- 2,324
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Is there a "canon" of Zen Koans?
There are lots of Koans on the internet, but I am not sure if there is some sort of process that a Koan must go through, or if there is some sort of list of Koans that are taught and that new ones are ...
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What is the Buddhist view in Socratic questioning?
From Socratic questioning – Wikipedia:
Socratic questioning is a form of disciplined questioning that can be used to pursue thought in many directions and for many purposes, including: to explore ...
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Bodhidharma leaving for china
What prompted the great BodhiDharma to go to China to spread his teachings- why not at home in the first place. Was he the founder of kalari payattu which has become somewhat unknown to us?
vijain
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How do kōans work?
A kōan (公案?) (/ˈkoʊ.ɑːn/; Chinese: 公案; pinyin: gōng'àn; Korean: 공안 (kong'an); Vietnamese: công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement, (1) which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great ...
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Not-Buddhism is the highest level of Buddhism?
I'm new here. I have a question regarding "Not-Buddhism" as the highest level of Buddhism.
I'm not sure where is the source, but this is the koan.
Tozan said to his monks, "You monks should know ...
- 295
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Book of zen kōans
I am looking for a book of kōans that contains things like the following:
Nasreddin Khodja commanded his disciples, when he sneezed, to salute him by clapping their hands and crying out: "Haïr ...
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Which materials exist on the construction and origin of kōans?
A further question: is there an online community that creates kōans?
Thank you so much!
John
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Koans for beginner - dos and don'ts?
I like studying Buddhism, especially Prasangika, but I find I sometimes get kind of conceptual. I practice shamata every day, but if a beginner like myself wants to try meditation/mindfulness with ...
- 2,673
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What happens after the great doubt of koan practice?
I read that koan practice is meant to create doubt.
But what happens when the koan has been passed? Does doubt end, or begin again, or get literally "shattered"?
Does the practitioner experience a ...
user2512
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Zen koans, is there any point in thinking about them?
Or must we just count our breaths and repeat the phrase?
I was asked I think "what is your original face" - and I think it's the way / tao, but that's just something that occurred to me, I wrote down ...
user2512
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Can you help me identify this English translation of The Gateless Gate?
Over the years, as I have seen various commentaries on koans, I've become aware that the quoted text seems to always derive from one of a very few English translations, but the translation concerned ...
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What kind of harm can koan answers cause to one's practice?
In a recent meta discussion some people expressed the opinion that giving koan answers may be detrimental to one's practice. In what way, exactly? And if it is so, why did many Buddhists publish koan ...
- 2,722
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The Buddha-nature of a dog
I keep seeing the following koan:
A monk asked Zhàozhōu, "Does a dog have Buddha nature or not?" Zhaozhou said, "Wú".
What does this mean and why is it important?
More specifically: Does "Wú" ...
- 2,722
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What is the role of kōans in contemporary Buddhism?
I have a copy of The Iron Flute that I use to study individual kōans, and read the analysis provided. I feel like this provides me with some good insight, but it also feels... backwards.
How are ...
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