The purpose of a koan is for the person who engages in it to realize the difference between the mind (which manifests itself as a flow of thoughts) and consciousness (which is the space that contains the flow of thoughts). Always the issue is to understand that it is identification with our thoughts and feelings which creates the sense of “I” and that there is something broader, namely consciousness, which is common to all and within which our individual “I”s simply happen. Zen masters identify consciousness with life itself.
The paradox surrounding a koan tends to arouse the mind for long, as the mind thinks it over and over trying to “solve” the paradox or simply find an answer, more or less like a dog chasing its tale. With koans, one is given the opportunity to realize the difference between mind and consciousness.
The moment when someone realizes that mind and consciousness are two different things, he can understand that the mind identifies with his personality and consciousness with his essence; this is how the koan’s purpose is fulfilled.
Fulfilling the purpose of a koan has little to do with explaining it. No matter how many explanations a koan receives, its meaning is never exhausted anyway. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that it has one and only, definitive explanation.
Examples of koans:
- Two hands clap and a sound is produced. What is the sound of one hand?
- How can one express the truth without speech and without silence?
- If I truly love myself, I must not love myself. If I want to protect myself, I must not protect myself.
- It’s neither the flag that moves nor the wind; it’s the mind.
2 comments:
"The paradox surrounding a koan tends to arouse the mind for long, as the mind thinks it over and over trying to “solve” the paradox or simply find an answer, more or less like a dog chasing its tale. With koans, one is given the opportunity to realize the difference between mind and consciousness."
Besides koans, there are also more ordinary folktales dealing with paradoxes. These show how paradoxes cease to exist when you place the facts in the correct context. But then perceiving things with consciousness should do away with any and all levels and types of paradoxes, shouldn't it? How do you describe the difference between mind and consciousness?
Picture a landscape, any that you like. The sun is shining there. Now there are clouds in the landscape and now rain. The wind is blowing very hard. Thunderbolts run through the sky. Gradually, the rain turns into hail, then the weather calms down a little and fine snow shows up. I can go on and on like this.
The landscape is consciousness (others prefer the word awareness). It is the space where weather (thoughts, the mind) can manifest. It is always the same, no matter how suddenly or how much weather conditions seem to change it. It is the underlying essential that changes not.
I think we've talked about it before, in your blog.
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