Zen koans

E389952
literary form meditation aid spiritual practice teaching method

Zen koans are paradoxical anecdotes or riddles used in Zen Buddhism as meditation tools to transcend logical thinking and provoke direct insight into reality.

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All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Zen 1
Zen koans canonical 1
Zhaozhou’s dog kōan 1

Statements (51)

Predicate Object
instanceOf literary form ⓘ
meditation aid ⓘ
spiritual practice ⓘ
teaching method ⓘ
associatedWith Rinzai ⓘ
surface form: Rinzai school of Zen

Sōtō Zen ⓘ
surface form: Soto school of Zen
compiledIn Blue Cliff Record ⓘ
Book of Serenity ⓘ
surface form: Book of Equanimity

Gateless Gate ⓘ
The Record of Linji ⓘ
surface form: Record of Linji
developedIn China ⓘ
Song dynasty period ⓘ
Tang dynasty ⓘ
surface form: Tang dynasty period
etymology Japanese reading koan ⓘ
from Chinese term gong'an ⓘ
example Does a dog have Buddha-nature? ⓘ
Original face before your parents were born ⓘ
What is the sound of one hand clapping? ⓘ
hasCharacteristic brief ⓘ
memorable ⓘ
non-discursive ⓘ
often illogical ⓘ
paradoxical ⓘ
hasForm anecdote ⓘ
dialogue ⓘ
question ⓘ
riddle ⓘ
hasPurpose to break habitual conceptual patterns ⓘ
to facilitate enlightenment ⓘ
to provoke direct insight into reality ⓘ
to test spiritual understanding ⓘ
to transcend logical thinking ⓘ
influenced Western contemplative literature ⓘ
modern psychotherapy approaches ⓘ
languageOrigin Classical Chinese ⓘ
notIntendedAs intellectual riddle ⓘ
logical puzzle ⓘ
originalMeaning public case ⓘ
requires contemplation ⓘ
direct experiential response ⓘ
tradition Chan Buddhism ⓘ
Chinese Chan ⓘ
Japanese Zen ⓘ
Korean Buddhism ⓘ
surface form: Korean Seon

Mahayana ⓘ
surface form: Mahayana Buddhism
usedBy Zen masters ⓘ
Zen students ⓘ
usedFor dokusan interviews ⓘ
formal Zen training ⓘ
meditation practice ⓘ
usedIn Zen ⓘ
surface form: Zen Buddhism

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ten Zen Questions → inspiredBy → Zen koans ⓘ
Chan zong → knownInJapanAs → Zen koans ⓘ
this entity surface form: Zen
Zhaozhou Congshen → associatedConcept → Zen koans ⓘ
this entity surface form: Zhaozhou’s dog kōan