koan
a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.
Origin of koan
1- Compare mondo1.
Words Nearby koan
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use koan in a sentence
A famous koan asks the novitiate to describe her face before she was born.
Over Time, Buddhism and Science Agree - Issue 94: Evolving | David P. Barash | December 23, 2020 | NautilusThis is one of the meanings of the famous Zen koan, “If you see the Buddha on the road, kill him.”
The Shocking Scandal at the Heart of American Zen | Jay Michaelson | November 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThis is a Zen koan of American political thought, a perfect yin and yang.
The question of how to combat 9/11 amnesia while moving forward can feel like a Zen koan.
British Dictionary definitions for koan
/ (ˈkəʊæn) /
(in Zen Buddhism) a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution
Origin of koan
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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