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| + | #REDIRECT [[Kōan]] |
| − | <poem>
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| − | '''[[kōan]]'''
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| − | [[[公案]]] ( Jpn; [[Chin kung-an]] )
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| − | Originally, in {{Wiki|China}}, a government decree or public notice. In the [[Zen]] ({{Wiki|Chin Ch'an}}) school, it refers to a [[master's]] statements, including questions and answers directed at his [[disciples]]. A famous example of [[koan]] is the statement "Listen to the [[sound]] of one hand clapping." The purpose of [[koan]] is to help [[Zen]] practitioners transcend the [[rational]] {{Wiki|intellect}} and develop {{Wiki|intuition}}. They are used as [[objects]] of [[meditation]] for developing [[insight]] and also as tests of whether a student has obtained a certain level of [[insight]]. In [[China]], the use of [[koan]] began in the [[Wikipedia:Tang Dynasty|T'ang dynasty]] (618-907).
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| − | A [[kōan]] (公案?)pron.: /ˈkoʊ.ɑːn/; {{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[公案]]; pinyin: [[gōng'àn]]; [[Korean]]: 공안 (kong'an); [[Vietnamese]]: công án) is a story, {{Wiki|dialogue}}, question, or statement, which is used in Zen-practice to provoke the "great [[doubt]]", and test a student's progress in [[Zen]] practice.
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| − | {{Wiki|Etymology}}
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| − | The [[Japanese]] term [[kōan]] is the on'yomi Sino-Japanese reading of {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[gong'an]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[公案]]; pinyin: [[gōng'àn]]; Wade–Giles: [[kung-an]]; literally "public case"), which means "(complicated) legal case; table to hold documents of a case; ([[Buddhist]]) [[koan]] (knotty problem in [[Zen]]); ([[traditional]]) detective stories; a much discussed issue; a sensational affair." This [[word]] compounds [[gong]] (公) "public affairs; official duties; common; collective; fair; impartial; make public" and an (案) "(archeology) rectangular stand for supporting wine vessels; table; desk; (law) case; record; file."
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| − | According to the [[Yuan Dynasty]] [[Zen master]] Zhongfeng Mingben (中峰明本 1263–1323), [[gōng'àn]] abbreviates gōngfǔ zhī àndú (公府之案牘, [[Japanese]] kōfu no antoku – literally the andu "official correspondence; documents; files" of a [[gongfu]] "government post"), which referred to a "public record" or the "case records of a public law court" in Tang-dynasty [[China]]. Kōan/gong'an thus serves as a {{Wiki|metaphor}} for {{Wiki|principles}} of [[reality]] beyond the private opinion of one [[person]], and a [[teacher]] may test the student's ability to [[recognize]] and understand that [[principle]].
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| − | Commentaries in [[kōan]] collections bear some similarity to judicial decisions that cite and sometimes modify precedents. An article by T. Griffith Foulk claims
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| − | ...Its literal meaning is the 'table' or 'bench' an of a 'magistrate' or 'judge' kung.
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma765.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | [[Gong'an]] was itself originally a {{Wiki|metaphor}} — an article of furniture that came to denote legal precedents. For example, Di [[Gong'an]] (狄公案) is the original title of Celebrated Cases of Judge Dee, the famous {{Wiki|Chinese}} detective {{Wiki|novel}} based on a historical {{Wiki|Tang dynasty}} judge. Similarly, [[Zen]] [[kōan]] collections are public records of the notable sayings and [[actions]] of [[Zen]] [[disciples]] and [[masters]] attempting to pass on their teachings.
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| − | Origins and development
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| − | [[China]]
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| − | Gongans developed during the {{Wiki|Tang Dynasty}} (618-907)from the recorded sayings collections of Chán-masters, which quoted many stories of "a famous {{Wiki|past}} [[Chán]] figure's encounter with [[disciples]] or other interlocutors and then [[offering]] his own comment on it".Those stories and the accompanying comments were used to educate students, and broaden their [[insight]] into the [[Buddhist teachings]].
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| − | Those stories came to be known as [[gongan]], "public cases". Such a story was only considered a [[gongan]] when it was commented upon by another Chán-master.This practice of commenting on the words and [[deeds]] of {{Wiki|past}} [[masters]] confirmed the [[master's]] position as an [[awakened]] [[master]] in a [[lineage]] of [[awakened]] [[masters]] of the {{Wiki|past}}.
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| − | {{Wiki|Literary}} practice
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| − | [[Koan]] practice developed from a {{Wiki|literary}} practice, styling snippets of encounter-dialogue into well-edited stories. It arose in interaction with "educated literati". There were dangers involved in such a {{Wiki|literary}} approach, such as fixing specific meanings to the cases.Dahui Zonggao is even said to have burned the woodblocks of the [[Blue Cliff Record]], for the [[hindrance]] it had become to study of [[Chán]] by his students [[Kōan]] {{Wiki|literature}} was also influenced by the pre-Zen {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[tradition]] of the "{{Wiki|literary}} game" — a competition involving improvised [[poetry]].
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| − | The style of [[writing]] of [[Zen]] texts has been influenced by "a variety of [[east]] {{Wiki|Asian}} {{Wiki|literary}} games"
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| − | The extensive use of {{Wiki|allusions}}, which create a [[feeling]] of disconnection with the main theme;
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| − | Indirect references, such as titling a poem with one topic and composing a verse that seems on the surface to be totally unrelated;
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| − | Inventive wordplay based on the fact that [[kanji]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}} characters) are homophonic and convey multiple, often complementary or contradictory meanings;
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| − | Linking the verses in a sustained string based on hidden points of connection or continuity, such as seasonal [[imagery]] or references to [[myths]] and {{Wiki|legends}}.
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| − | Observing the [[phrase]]
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma7.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | During the {{Wiki|Song Dynasty}} (960-1297) the use of gongans took a decisive turn. [[Dahui Zonggao]] (1089–1163) introduced the use of [[k'an-hua]], "observing the [[phrase]]". In this practice students were to observe (k'an) or [[concentrate]] on a single [[word]] or [[phrase]] (hua-t'ou), such as the famous mu of the mu-koan.
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| − | In the eleventh century this practice had become common.A new {{Wiki|literary}} genre developed from this [[tradition]] as well. Collections of such commented cases were compiled which consisted of the case itself, accompanied by verse or prose commentary.
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| − | Tahui's invention was aimed at balancing the [[insight]] developed by {{Wiki|reflection}} on the teachings with developing [[samatha]], [[calmness]] of mind.Ironically, this development became in effect [[silent illumination]], a "of koan-study into the "[[silence]]" of [[meditation]] (ch'an)".It lead to a rejection of [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|learning}}:
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| − | Some extent of [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|learning}} could easily have been [[recognized]] as a precondition for sudden [[awakening]] in [[Ch'an]]. Sung [[masters]], however, tended to take the rejection literally and nondialectically. In effect, what they instituted was a [[form]] of [[Zen]] [[fundamentalism]]: the [[tradition]] came to be increasingly anti-intellectual in orientation and, in the process, reduced its complex heritage to simple formulae for which literal interpretations were [[thought]] adequate.
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| − | This development left [[Chinese Chán]] vulnerable for criticisms by neo-Confucianism, which developed after the [[Sung Dynasty]]. Its anti-intellectual [[rhetoric]] was no match for the [[intellectual]] {{Wiki|discourse}} of the neo-Confucianists.
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| − | Interaction
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| − | The recorded encounter dialogues, and the [[koan]] collections which derived from this genre, mark a shift from {{Wiki|solitary}} practice to interaction between [[master]] and student:
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| − | The [[essence of enlightenment]] came to be identified with the interaction between [[masters]] and students. Whatever [[insight]] [[dhyana]] might bring, its verification was always {{Wiki|interpersonal}}. In effect, [[enlightenment]] came to be understood not so much as an [[insight]], but as a way of acting in the [[world]] with other [[people]]
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| − | This mutual enquiry of the meaning of the encounters of [[masters]] and students of the {{Wiki|past}} gave students a role model:
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma355.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | One looked at the [[enlightened activities]] of one's lineal forebears in order to understand one's own [[Wikipedia:Identity (social science)|identity]] [...] taking the role of the participants and engaging in their dialogues instead
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| − | [[Kōan]] training requires a qualified [[teacher]] who has the ability to judge a disciple's depth of [[attainment]]. In the [[Rinzai Zen]] school, which uses [[kōans]] extensively, the [[teacher]] certification process includes an appraisal of proficiency in using that school's extensive [[kōan]] {{Wiki|curriculum}}.
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| − | Contemporary koan-use
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| − | In [[China]] and [[Korea]], "observing the [[phrase]]", still is the sole [[form]] of koan-practice, though [[Seung Sahn]] used the Rinzai-style of koan-practice in his [[Kwan Um School of Zen]].
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| − | [[Japan]]
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| − | [[Japanese Zen]], both [[Rinzai]] and [[Soto]], took over the use of koan-study and -commenting. In [[Soto-Zen]], [[koan]] commentary was not linked to [[seated meditation]].
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| − | [[Koan]] manuals
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| − | When the Chán-tradition was introduced in [[Japan]] [[Japanese]] [[monks]] had to [[master]] the [[Chinese language]] and specific {{Wiki|expressions}} used in the koan-training. The [[desired]] "spontaneity" expressed by [[enlightened]] [[masters]] required a thorough study of [[Chinese language]] and poetry.Japanese [[Zen]] imitated the {{Wiki|Chinese}} "syntax and stereotyped norms".
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| − | In the officially [[recognized]] [[monasteries]] belonging to the Gozan ([[Five Mountain System]]) the {{Wiki|Chinese}} system was fully continued. [[Senior monks]] were supposed to compose {{Wiki|Chinese}} verse in a complex style of matched counterpoints known as bien-li wen. It took a lot of {{Wiki|literary}} and [[intellectual]] skills for a [[monk]] to succeed in this system.
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| − | The Rinka-monasteries, the provincial [[temples]] with less control of the state, laid less [[stress]] on the correct command of the {{Wiki|Chinese}} {{Wiki|cultural}} idiom. These [[monasteries]] developed "more accessible methods of [[koan]] instruction".It had three features:
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma27dfc29.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | A standardized koan-curriculum;
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| − | A standardized set of answers based on stereotypes {{Wiki|Chinese}} sayings;
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| − | A standardized method of secretly guiding students through the {{Wiki|curriculum}} of [[koan]] and answers.
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| − | By standardizing the koan-curriculum every generation of students proceeded to the same series of koans.Students had to memorize a set number of stereotyped sayings, [[agyo]], "appended words". The proper series of responses for each [[koan]] were taught by the [[master]] in private instruction-sessions to selected {{Wiki|individual}} students who would inherit the [[dharma]] [[lineage]].
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| − | Missanroku and missancho, "Records of [[secret instruction]]" have been preserved for various Rinzai-lineages. They contain both the koan-curricula and the standardized answers.In [[Soto-Zen]] they are called monsan, an abbreviation of monto hissan, "[[secret instructions]] of the [[lineage]]".
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| − | The monsan follow a standard question-and-answer format. A series of questions is given, to be asked by the [[master]]. The answers are also given by the [[master]], to be memorized by the student.
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| − | Contemporary [[koan]] curricula
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| − | In the eighteenth century the [[Rinzai school]] became dominated by the legacy of [[Hakuin]], who laid a strong emphasis on [[koan]] study as a means to gain [[kensho]] and develop [[insight]]. There are two curricula used in [[Rinzai]], both derived from the [[principal]] heirs of [[Rinzai]]: the Takuju {{Wiki|curriculum}}, and the Inzan {{Wiki|curriculum}}.
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| − | Suppression in the [[Soto-school]]
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| − | During the late eighteenth and nineteenth century the [[tradition]] of koan-commentary became suppressed in the [[Soto-school]], due to a reform {{Wiki|movement}} that sought to standardise the procedures for [[dharma]] transmission.One [[reason]] for suppressing the koan-tradition in the [[Soto-school]] may have been to highlight the differences with the Rinzai-school, and create a clear identity.This {{Wiki|movement}} also started to venerate [[Dogen]] as the founding [[teacher]] of the [[Soto-school]]. His teachings became the standard for the Soto-teachings, neglecting the fact that [[Dogen]] himself made extensive use of koan-commentary.
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| − | [[Doctrinal]] background
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma1445.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | The popular {{Wiki|western}} [[understanding]] sees [[kōan]] as referring to an unanswerable question or a meaningless statement. However, in [[Zen]] practice, a [[kōan]] is not meaningless, and not a riddle or a puzzle. [[Teachers]] do expect students to {{Wiki|present}} an appropriate response when asked about a [[kōan]].
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| − | [[Koans]] are also understood as pointers to an unmediated "[[Pure Consciousness]]", devoid of [[Wikipedia:cognition|cognitive]] activity.Victor Hori criticizes this [[understanding]]:
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| − | [A] [[pure consciousness]] without [[Wikipedia:concept|concepts]], if there could be such a thing, would be a booming, buzzing {{Wiki|confusion}}, a sensory field of flashes of light, unidentifiable {{Wiki|sounds}}, {{Wiki|ambiguous}} shapes, {{Wiki|color}} patches without significance. This is not the [[consciousness]] of the [[enlightened]] [[Zen master]].
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| − | According to Hori, a central theme of many [[koans]] is the '[[Wikipedia:Identity (social science)|identity]] of opposites':
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| − | [K]oan after [[koan]] explores the theme of [[nonduality]]. [[Hakuin's]] well-known [[koan]], "Two hands clap and there is a [[sound]], what is the [[sound]] of one hand?" is clearly about two and one. The [[koan]] asks, you know what [[duality]] is, now what is [[nonduality]]? In "What is your original face before your mother and father were born?" the [[phrase]] "father and mother" alludes to [[duality]]. This is obvious to someone versed in the {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[tradition]], where so much [[philosophical]] [[thought]] is presented in the [[imagery]] of paired opposites. The [[phrase]] "your original face" alludes to the original [[nonduality]].
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| − | Comparable statements are: "Look at the [[flower]] and the [[flower]] also looks"; "Guest and host interchange".
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| − | Koan-practice
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| − | Study of [[kōan]] {{Wiki|literature}} is common to all schools of [[Zen]], though with varying emphases and curriculae.The Rinzai-school uses extensive koan-curricula, checking questions, and jakogo ("capping phrases", quotations from {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[poetry]]) in its use of koans.The [[Sanbo Kyodan]], and it's {{Wiki|western}} derivates of [[Taizan Maezumi]] and the [[White Plum Asanga]], also use koan-curricula, but have omitted the use of capping phrases.In [[Chinese Chán]] and [[Korean]] [[Seon]], the emphasis is on Hua Tou, the study of one [[koan]] throughout one's lifetime.In [[Japanese]] [[Soto-Zen]], the use of [[koans]] has been abandoned since the late eighteenth and nineteenth century.
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| − | [[Hua-tou]] or breakthrough-koan
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma133.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | In the Rinzai-school, the [[Sanbo Kyodan]], and the [[White Plum Asanga]], [[koan]] practice starts with the assignment of a hosshi or "break-through [[koan]]", usually the mu-koan or "the [[sound]] of one hand clapping". In [[Chinese Chán]] and [[Korean]] [[Seon]], various [[koan]] can be used for the [[hua-tou]] practice.
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| − | Students are instructed to [[concentrate]] on the "word-head", like the [[phrase]] "mu". In the [[Wumenguan]] ([[Mumonkan]]), public case #1 ("Zhaozhou's {{Wiki|Dog}}"), Wumen (Mumon) wrote:
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| − | ...[[concentrate]] yourself into this 'Wú'... making your whole [[body]] one great inquiry. Day and night work intently at it. Do not attempt [[Wikipedia:Nihilism|nihilistic]] or [[dualistic]] interpretations."
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| − | Arousing this great inquiry or "Great [[Doubt]]" is an [[essential]] [[element]] of [[kōan]] practice. It builds up "strong internal pressure (gidan), never stopping knocking from within at the door of [the] [[mind]], demanding to be resolved", To illustrate the enormous [[concentration]] required in [[kōan]] [[meditation]], [[Zen Master]] Wumen commented,
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| − | It is like {{Wiki|swallowing}} a [[red-hot iron]] ball. You try to vomit it out, but you can't.
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| − | Analysing the [[koan]] for its literal meaning won't lead to [[insight]], though [[understanding]] the context from which [[koans]] emerged can make them more intelligible. For example, when a [[monk]] asked [[Zhaozhou]] (Joshu) "does a {{Wiki|dog}} have [[Buddha-nature]] or not?", the [[monk]] was referring to the [[understanding]] of the teachings on [[Buddha-nature]], which were understood in the {{Wiki|Chinese}} context of [[absolute]] and [[relative]] [[reality]].
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| − | [[Insight]]
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| − | The continuous [[pondering]] of the break-through [[koan]] (shokan]) or Hua Tou, "[[word]] head", leads to [[kensho]], an initial [[insight]] into "[[seeing]] the (Buddha-)nature.
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| − | The aim of the break-through [[koan]] is to see the "[[nonduality]] of [[subject]] and [[object]]":
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| − | The [[monk]] himself in his seeking is the [[koan]]. [[Realization]] of this is the [[insight]]; the response to the [[koan]] [...] [[Subject]] and [[object]] - this is two hands clapping. When the [[monk]] realizes that the [[koan]] is not merely an [[object]] of [[consciousness]] but is also he himself as the [[activity]] of seeking an answer to the [[koan]], then [[subject]] and [[object]] are no longer separate and {{Wiki|distinct}} [...] This is one hand clapping.
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma.350.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | Various accounts can be found which describe this "becoming one" and the resulting breakthrough:
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| − | I was [[dead]] tired. That evening when I tried to settle down to [[sleep]], the instant I laid my head on the pillow, I saw: "[[Ah]], this outbreath is Mu!" Then: the [[in-breath]] too is Mu!" Next [[breath]], too: Mu! Next [[breath]]: Mu, Mu! "Mu, a whole sequence of Mu! Croak, croak; meow, meow - these too are Mu! The bedding, the wall, the column, the sliding-door - these too are Mu! This, that and everything is Mu! Ha ha! Ha ha ha ha Ha! that [[roshi]] is a rascal! He's always tricking [[people]] with his 'Mu, Mu, Mu'!...
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| − | Testing [[insight]]
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| − | Demonstrating [[insight]]
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| − | [[Insight]] has to be demonstrated. A mere "answer" to a [[koan]] is not sufficient. The [[teacher]] is not looking for a specific answer, but for {{Wiki|evidence}} that the [[disciple]] has grasped the [[state of mind]] expressed by the [[kōan]] itself. Appropriate responses to a [[kōan]] vary, since different [[teachers]] may demand different responses to a given [[kōan]], and the answers may vary by circumstance.
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| − | [[Sassho]] - Checking questions
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| − | [[Teachers]] may probe students about their [[kōan]] practice using [[sassho]], "checking questions" to validate their [[satori]] ([[understanding]]) or [[kensho]] ([[seeing]] the nature).For the mu-koan and the clapping hand-koan there are twenty to a hundred checking questions, depending on the [[teaching]] lineage.The checking questions serve to deepen the [[insight]] of the student, but also to test his or her [[understanding]].
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| − | [[Jakugo]] - Capping phrases
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| − | In the Rinzai-school, passing a [[koan]] and the checking questions has to be supplemented by [[jakugo]], "capping phrases", citations of {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[poetry]] to demonstrate the insight.Students can use collections of those citations, instead of composing [[poetry]] themselves.
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| − | Post-satori practice
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma-bio.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | After the initial [[insight]] further practice is necessary, to deepen the [[insight]] and learn to express it in daily [[life]]. In [[Chinese Chán]] and [[Korean]] [[Seon]], this further practice consists of further [[pondering]] of the same Hua Tou. In Rinzai-Zen, this further practice is undertaken by further koan-study, for which elaborate curriculae [[exist]].[In [[Soto-Zen]], [[Shikantaza]] is the main practice for deepening [[insight]].
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| − | Varieties in koan-practice
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| − | [[Chinese Chán]] and [[Korean]] [[Seon]]
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| − | In [[Chinese Chán]] and [[Korean]] [[Seon]], the primary [[form]] of Koan-study is [[k'an-hua]], "{{Wiki|reflection}} on the [[koan]]", also called Hua Tou, "[[word]] head".In this practice, a fragment of the [[koan]], such as "mu", or a "what is"-question is used by focusing on this fragment and repeating it over and over again:
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| − | Who is it who now repeats the [[Buddha's]] [[name]]?
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| − | Who is dragging this corpse about?
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| − | What is this?
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| − | What is it?
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| − | What was the original face before my father and mother were born?
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| − | Who am I?
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| − | The student is assigned only one [[hua-tou]] for a lifetime.In contrast to the similar sounding "who am I?" question of [[Ramana Maharshi]], [[hua-tou]] involves raising "great [[doubt]]":
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| − | This [[koan]] becomes a touchstone of our practice: it is a place to put our [[doubt]], to cultivate great [[doubt]], to allow the [[revelation]] of great [[faith]], and to focus our great [[energy]].
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| − | [[Japanese]] [[Rinzai]]
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma on E.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | [[Kōan]] practice is particularly important among [[Japanese]] practitioners of the [[Rinzai]] sect. | |
| − | Importance of koan-study
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| − | This importance is reflected in writings in te Rinzai-school on the koan-genre. Zhongfeng Mingben (中峰明本, Wade Giles:Chung-feng Ming-pen; Jpn. Chūhō Myōhon) (1263-1323), a {{Wiki|Chinese}} Chán-master who lived at the beginning of the [[Yuan Dynasty]], revitalized the Rinzai-tradition,and put a strong emphasis on the use of [[koans]]. He saw the [[kung-ans]] as "work of {{Wiki|literature}} [that] should be used as [[objective]], [[universal]] standards to test the [[insight]] of [[monks]] who aspired to be [[recognized]] as [[Ch'an]] [[masters]]":
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| − | The [[koans]] do not represent the private opinion of a single man, but rather the hundreds and thousands of [[bodhisattvas]] of the [[three realms]] and [[ten directions]]. This [[principle]] accords with the [[spiritual]] source, tallies with the mysterious meaning, destroys birth-and-death, and transcends the [[passions]]. It cannot be understood by [[logic]] it cannot be transmitted in words; it cannot be explained in [[writing]]; it cannot be measured by [[reason]]. It is like the poisoned [[drum]] that kills all who hear it, or like a great [[fire]] that consumes all who come near it. What is called "the special [[transmission]] of the [[Vulture Peak]]" was the [[transmission]] of this; what is called the "direct pointing of [[Bodhidharma]] at Shao-lin-ssu" is this.
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| − | [[Musō Soseki]] (1275-1351), a [[Japanese]] contemporary of Zhongfeng Mingben, relativized the use of [[koans]]. The study of [[koans]] had become popular in [[Japan]], due to the influence of {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[masters]] such as Zhongfeng Mingben. Despite belonging to the Rinzai-school, [[Musō Soseki]] also made extensive use of richi ([[teaching]]), explaining the [[sutras]], instead of kikan ([[koan]]). According to [[Musō Soseki]], both are [[upaya]], "skillfull means" meant to educate students. [[Musō Soseki]] called both shōkogyu, "little [[jewels]]", tools to help the student to attain [[satori]].
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| − | [[Koan]] curricula
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| − | In [[Rinzai]] a [[gradual]] succession of [[koans]] is being studied. There are two curricula being used within [[Rinzai]], derived from the [[principal]] heirs of [[Rinzai]]: the Takuju {{Wiki|curriculum}}, and the Inzan {{Wiki|curriculum}}.
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| − | [[File:Bodhidharma (1)3.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | [[Koan]] practice starts with the shokan, or "first barrier", usually the mu-koan or the [[koan]] "What is the [[sound]] of one hand clapping?" After having [[attained]] [[kensho]], students continue their practice investigating subsequent [[koans]]. In the Takuju-school, after breakthrough students work through the [[Gateless Gate]] ([[Mumonkan]]), the [[Blue Cliff Record]] (Hekigan-roku), the Entangling Vines (Shumon Kattoshu), and the Collection of Wings of the Blackbird (Chin'u shu). The Inzan-school uses its own internally generated list of [[koans]].
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| − | [[Hakuin's]] descendants developed a fivefold {{Wiki|classification}} system:
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| − | [[Hosshin]], [[dharma-body]] [[koans]], are used to [[awaken]] the first [[insight]] into [[sunyata]]. They reveal the [[dharmakaya]], or Fundamental. They introduce "the undifferentitated and the unconditional".
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| − | Kikan, dynamic [[action]] [[koans]], help to understand the [[phenomenal world]] as seen from the [[awakened]] point of [[view]]; Where [[hosshin]] [[koans]] represent tai, [[substance]], kikan [[koans]] represent yu, [[function]].
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| − | Gonsen, [[explication]] of [[word]] [[koans]], aid to the [[understanding]] of the recorded sayings of the old [[masters]]. They show how the Fundamental, though not depending on words, is nevertheless expressd in words, without getting stuck to words.
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| − | [[Hachi]] Nanto, eight "difficult to pass" [[koans]]. There are various explanations for this category, one being that these [[koans]] cut off [[clinging]] to the previous [[attainment]]. They create another Great [[Doubt]], which shatters the [[self]] [[attained]] through [[satori]]. It is uncertain which are exactly those eight [[koans]]. Hori gives various sources, which altogether give ten [[hachi]] nanto [[koans]]:
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| − | Miura and [[Sasaki]]:
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| − | Nansen’s [[Flower]] (Hekigan-roku Case 40)
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| − | A [[Buffalo]] Passes the Window ([[Mumonkan]] Case 38)
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| − | Sōzan’s Memorial Tower (Kattō-shō Case 140)
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| − | Suigan’s Eyebrows (Hekigan-roku Case 8)
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| − | Enkan’s Rhinoceros Fan (Hekigan-roku Case 91)
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| − | Shimano:
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| − | The Old Woman Burns the Hut (Kattō-shō Case 162)
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| − | Asahina Sōgen:
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| − | Goso Hōen’s “Hakuun Said ‘Not Yet’” (Kattō-shō Case 269)
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| − | Shuzan’s Main Cable (Kattō-shō Case 280).
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| − | Akizuki:
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| − | Nansen Has [[Died]] (Kattō-shō Case 282)
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| − | Kenpō’s Three Illnesses (Kattō-shō Case 17).
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| − | Goi jujukin [[koans]], the Five Ranks of [[Tozan]] and the Ten Grave [[Precepts]].
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| − | [[File:Bodhi Ajanta.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | According to Akizuki there was an older classification-system, in which the fifth category was [[Kojo]], "Directed upwards". This category too was meant to rid the [[monk]] of any "stink of [[Zen]]". The very advanced [[practitioner]] may also receive the Matsugo no rokan, "The last barrier, and Saigo no ikketsu, "The final confirmation". "The last barrier" when one leaved the [[training hall]], for example "Sum up all of the records of [[Rinzai]] in one [[word]]!" It is not meant to be solved immediately, but to be carried around in order to keep practising. "the final confirmation" may be another [[word]] for the same kind of [[koan]].
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| − | Post-satori practice
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| − | | |
| − | Completing the koan-curriculum in the Rinzai-schools asks for an extensive command of {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[poetry]] and {{Wiki|literary}} skills:
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| − | | |
| − | [D]isciples today are expected to spend a dozen or more years with a [[master]] to complete a full course of training in [[koan]] commentary. Only when a [[master]] is satisfied that a [[disciple]] can comment appropriately on a wide range of old cases will he [[recognize]] the latter as a [[dharma heir]] and give him formal "[[proof]] of [[transmission]]" (J. [[inka shomei]]). Thus, in [[reality]], a lot more than [[satori]] is required for one to be [[recognized]] as a [[master]] (J. shike, [[roshi]]) in the [[Rinzai school]] of [[Zen]] at {{Wiki|present}}. The accepted [[proof]] of [[satori]] is a set of {{Wiki|literary}} and [[Wikipedia:Rhetoric|rhetorical]] skills that takes many years to acquire.
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| − | | |
| − | After completing the koan-training, Gogo no shugyo, post-satori training is necessary:
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| − | [I]t would take 10 years to solve all the [[kōans]] [...] in the [[sōdō]]. After the student has solved all [[koans]], he can leave the [[sōdō]] and live on his own, but he is still not considered a [[roshi]]. For this he has to complete another ten years of training, called "go-go-no-shugyō" in [[Japanese]]. Literally, this means "practice after satori/enlightenment", but {{Wiki|Fukushima}} preferred the translation "special practice". {{Wiki|Fukushima}} would explain that the student builds up a "[[religious]] [[personality]]" during this decade. It is a kind of period that functions to test if the student is actually able to live in regular {{Wiki|society}} and apply his [[koan]] [[understanding]] to daily [[life]], after he has lived in an environment that can be quite surreal and [[detached]] from the [[lives]] of the rest of [[humanity]]. Usually, the student [[lives]] in small parish [[temple]] during this decade, not in a formal training [[monastery]].
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| − | [[Breathing]] practices
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| − | [[File:BlindMen.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | [[Hakuin Ekaku]] recommended preparing for [[kōan]] practice by {{Wiki|concentrating}} on qi [[breathing]] and its effect on the [[body's]] center of {{Wiki|gravity}}, called the [[dantian]] or "[[hara]]" in [[Japanese]] — thereby associating [[kōan]] practice with pre-existing [[Wikipedia:Taoism|Taoist]] and [[Yogic]] [[chakra]] [[meditative]] practices.
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| − | [[Japanese]] [[Soto]]
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| − | | |
| − | Though few [[Soto]] practitioners [[concentrate]] on [[kōans]] during [[meditation]], the [[Soto]] sect has a strong historical connection with [[kōans]], since many [[kōan]] collections were compiled by [[Soto]] {{Wiki|priests}}.
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| − | | |
| − | During the 13th century, [[Dōgen]], founder of the [[Soto]] sect in [[Japan]], quoted 580 [[kōans]] in his teachings. He compiled some 300 [[kōans]] in the volumes known as the Greater [[Shōbōgenzō]]. [[Dōgen]] wrote of Genjokōan, which points out that everyday [[life]] [[experience]] is the fundamental [[kōan]].
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| − | | |
| − | However, according to Michel Mohr,
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| − | | |
| − | ...[[kōan]] practice was largely expunged from the [[Soto school]] through the efforts of Gentō Sokuchū (1729–1807), the eleventh [[abbot]] of Entsuji, who in 1795 was nominated [[abbot]] of [[Eiheiji]]".
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| − | | |
| − | [[Sanbo Kyodan]] and [[White Plum Asanga]]
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| − | | |
| − | The [[Sanbo Kyodan]] school and the [[White Plum Asanga]], which originated with the Soto-priest [[Hakuun Yasutani]], incorporates koan-study. The [[Sanbo kyodan]] places great emphasis on [[kensho]], initial [[insight]] into one's [[true nature]] , as a start of real practice. It follows the so-called Harada-Yasutani koan-curriculum, which is derived from [[Hakuin's]] student Takuju. It is a shortened koan-curriculum, in which the socalled "capping phrases" are removed. The {{Wiki|curriculum}} takes considerably less [[time]] to study than the Takuju-curriculum of [[Rinzai]].
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| − | [[File:Bhavacakra Thikse.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | To attain [[kensho]], most students are assigned the mu-koan. After breaking through, the student first studies twenty-two "in-house" [[koans]], which are "unpublished and not for the general public", but are nevertheless published and commented upon. There-after, the students goes through the [[Gateless Gate]] ([[Mumonkan]]), the [[Blue Cliff Record]], the [[Book]] of [[Equanimity]], and the Record of Transmitting the Light. The koan-curriculum is completed by the Five ranks of [[Tozan]] and the [[precepts]].
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| − | Classical [[kōan]] collections
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| − | | |
| − | [[Kōans]] collectively [[form]] a [[substantial body]] of {{Wiki|literature}} studied by [[Zen]] practitioners and [[scholars]] worldwide. [[Kōan]] collections commonly referenced in English include:
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| − | | |
| − | The [[Blue Cliff Record]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[Bìyán Lù]]; [[Japanese]]: [[Hekiganroku]]), 12th century;
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| − | The [[Book]] of [[Equanimity]] (also known as the [[Book]] of [[Serenity]]; {{Wiki|Chinese}}: Cōngróng Lù; [[Japanese]]: Shoyoroku), 12th century;
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| − | The [[Gateless Gate]] (also known as The Gateless Barrier; {{Wiki|Chinese}}: Wúménguān; [[Japanese]]: [[Mumonkan]]) collected during the 13th century).
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| − | | |
| − | In these and subsequent collections, a terse "main case" of a [[kōan]] often accompanies prefatory remarks, poems, proverbs and other phrases, and further commentary about prior emendations.
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| − | The [[Blue Cliff Record]]
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| − | | |
| − | The [[Blue Cliff Record]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: 碧巖錄 [[Bìyán Lù]]; [[Japanese]]: [[Hekiganroku]]) is a collection of 100 [[kōans]] compiled in 1125 by [[Yuanwu Keqin]] (圜悟克勤 1063–1135).
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| − | The [[Book]] of [[Equanimity]]
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| − | | |
| − | The [[Book]] of [[Equanimity]] or [[Book]] of [[Serenity]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: 從容録; [[Japanese]]: 従容録 Shōyōroku) is a collection of 100 [[Kōans]] compiled in the 12th century by [[Hongzhi Zhengjue]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: 宏智正覺; [[Japanese]]: Wanshi Shōgaku) (1091–1157). The full title is The Record of the [[Temple]] of [[Equanimity]] With the Classic Odes of [[Venerable]] Tiantong Jue and the Responsive Commentary of Old Man Wansong 《萬松老評唱天童覺和尚 頌古從容庵錄》(Ch. Wansong Laoren Pingchang Tiantong Jue [[Heshang]] Songgu Congrong An Lu)(Taisho [[Tripitaka]] Vol. 48, No. 2004)
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| − | The [[Gateless Gate]]
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| − | [[File:Bayon.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | The [[Gateless Gate]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[無門關]] [[Wumenguan]]; [[Japanese]]: [[Mumonkan]]) is a collection of 48 [[kōans]] and commentaries published in 1228 by {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[monk]] Wumen (無門) (1183–1260). The title may be more accurately rendered as Gateless Barrier or Gateless Checkpoint).
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| − | | |
| − | Five [[kōans]] in the collection derive from the sayings and doings of [[Zhaozhou]] Congshen, (transliterated as [[Chao-chou]] in [[Wade-Giles]] and pronounced [[Jōshū]] in [[Japanese]]).
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| − | The True [[Dharma Eye]]
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| − | | |
| − | The True [[Dharma Eye]] 300 ([[Shōbōgenzō]] Sanbyakusoku) is a collection of 300 [[kōans]] compiled by [[Eihei Dōgen]].
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| − | | |
| − | Other [[kōan]] collections compiled and annotated by [[Soto]] {{Wiki|priests}} include:
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| − | | |
| − | The {{Wiki|Iron}} Flute ([[Japanese]]: Tetteki Tosui, compiled by Genro in 1783)
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| − | Verses and Commentaries on One Hundred Old Cases of Tenchian ([[Japanese]]: Tenchian hyakusoku hyoju, compiled by Tetsumon in 1771.)
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| − | | |
| − | Examples of [[traditional]] [[kōans]]
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| − | Does a {{Wiki|dog}} have [[Buddha-nature]]
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| − | | |
| − | | |
| − | A [[monk]] asked [[Zhàozhōu]], "Does a {{Wiki|dog}} have [[Buddha nature]] or not?" [[Zhaozhou]] said, "Wú".
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| − | [[File:Ashoka Chakra.png|thumb|250px|]]
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| − | ("[[Zhaozhou]]" is rendered as "[[Chao-chou]]" in [[Wade-Giles]], and pronounced "Joshu" in [[Japanese]]. "Wu" appears as "mu" in [[Japanese]], meaning "no", "not", "nonbeing", or "without" in English. This is a fragment of Case #1 of the Wúménguān. However, another [[koan]] presents a longer version, in which [[Zhaozhou]] answered "yes" in response to the same question asked by a different [[monk]]: see Case #18 of the [[Book]] of [[Serenity]].)
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| − | The [[sound]] of one hand clapping
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| − | | |
| − | Two hands clap and there is a [[sound]]. What is the [[sound]] of one hand? (隻手声あり、その声を聞け)
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| − | —[[Hakuin Ekaku]]
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| − | | |
| − | Victor Hori comments:
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| − | | |
| − | ...in the beginning a [[monk]] first [[thinks]] a [[kōan]] is an inert [[object]] upon which to focus [[attention]]; after a long period of consecutive repetition, one realizes that the [[kōan]] is also a dynamic [[activity]], the very [[activity]] of seeking an answer to the [[kōan]]. The [[kōan]] is both the [[object]] being sought and the relentless seeking itself. In a [[kōan]], the [[self]] sees the [[self]] not directly but under the guise of the [[kōan]]... When one realizes ("makes real") this [[Wikipedia:Identity (social science)|identity]], then two hands have become one. The [[practitioner]] becomes the [[kōan]] that he or she is trying to understand. That is the [[sound]] of one hand.
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| − | | |
| − | Original Face
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| − | | |
| − | [[Huìnéng]] asked Hui [[Ming]], "Without [[thinking]] of good or [[evil]], show me your original face before your mother and father were born." (This is a fragment of case #23 of the [[Wumenguan]].)
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| − | Killing the [[Buddha]]
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| − | | |
| − | If you meet the [[Buddha]], kill him. (逢佛殺佛，逢祖殺祖)
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| − | —[[Linji]]
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| − | | |
| − | [[Thinking]] about [[Buddha]] is [[delusion]], not [[awakening]]. One must destroy preconceptions of the [[Buddha]]. [[Zen master]] [[Shunryu Suzuki]] wrote in [[Zen]] [[Mind]], Beginner's [[Mind]] during an introduction to [[Zazen]],
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| − | | |
| − | Kill the [[Buddha]] if the [[Buddha]] [[exists]] somewhere else. Kill the [[Buddha]], because you should resume your own [[Buddha nature]].
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| − | | |
| − | One is only able to see a [[Buddha]] as he [[exists]] in separation from [[Buddha]], the [[mind]] of the [[practitioner]] is thus still holding onto apparent [[duality]].
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| − | Other [[koans]]
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| − | | |
| − | A student asked [[Master]] Yun-Men (A.D. 949) "Not even a [[thought]] has arisen; is there still a [[sin]] or not?" [[Master]] replied, "[[Mount Sumeru]]!"
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| − | A [[monk]] asked [[Dongshan]] Shouchu, "What is [[Buddha]]?" [[Dongshan]] said, "Three pounds of flax." (This is a fragment of case #18 of the [[Wumenguan]] as well as case #12 of the [[Blue Cliff Record]].)
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| − | A [[monk]] asked [[Zhaozhou]], "What is the meaning of the ancestral [[teacher's]] (i.e., [[Bodhidharma's]]) coming from the [[west]]?" [[Zhaozhou]] said, "The cypress [[tree]] in front of the hall." (This is a fragment of case #37 of the [[Wumenguan]] as well as case #47 of the [[Book]] of [[Serenity]].)
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| − | </poem>
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| − | {{R}}
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| − | [http://www.sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?SearchSelect=dict&p=4&m=1&in=2&q=Meditation www.sgilibrary.org]
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| − | {{W}}
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| − | [[Category:Buddhist Terms]]
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| − | [[Category:Zen]]
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