History of Koan

	Revision 8 . . (edit) December 13, 2001 7:10 am by (logged).192.137.xxx
	Revision 7 . . December 13, 2001 5:29 am by Dmerrill [understanding koans]
	Revision 6 . . November 22, 2001 5:21 am by (logged).192.137.xxx [added unicode]
	Revision 5 . . (edit) October 21, 2001 5:07 am by (logged).191.188.xxx

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Difference (from prior major revision) (minor diff, author diff)

Changed: 3c3

The kanji? for "koan" (関) is an abbreviation for "ko-fu no an-toku" (公案). In ancient China, this was a signpost on which new laws were announced to the public. In much the same sense, a koan states a realized principle, or law of reality.

The kanji? for "koan" (公案) is an abbreviation for "ko-fu no an-toku". In ancient China, this was a signpost on which new laws were announced to the public. In much the same sense, a koan states a realized principle, or law of reality.

Added: 7a8,9

Not all koans actually have an "answer" or "explanation", which can be frustrating to people who are used to looking for them. Instead, they sometimes are intended only to prompt you to ask the right questions, or to question your previous assumptions.