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    Working with Zen Koans
    Working with Zen Koans
    Working with Zen Koans
    Ebook49 pages51 minutes

    Working with Zen Koans

    By Albert Low

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    About this ebook

    Because words can no more hold the truth than a net can hold water, we use koans. Koans are sayings, or doings, of Zen masters, the patriarchs and Buddha. Take for example the koan: The Sound of One Hand clapping. In its entirety it reads: “You know the sound of two hands clapping. What is the sound of one hand clapping?” The obvious, intellectual answer is, No sound at all! But then what is this No sound? In other words, is it just silence?
    If one is to work on this koan, indeed on any koan, one must demonstrate its meaning. Explanatory words - such as “the two hands represent duality, the one hand is unity” or “the sound of one hand is the sound of the true self” - are useless. A teacher of Zen would reject them out of hand, all the while demanding a real response. Words talk about true nature and, as it were, hold it at arm’s length. One must become the sound of one hand to be able to give a real response, and in this way see for oneself that the sound of one hand is the full expression of the master’s and one’s own awakened state.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlbert Low
    Release dateOct 29, 2009
    ISBN9780986631832
    Working with Zen Koans
    Author

    Albert Low

    Albert William Low was an authorized Zen master, an internationally published author, and a former human resources executive. He lived in England, South Africa, Canada, and the United States was the Teacher and Director of the Montreal Zen Center from 1979 until his passing in January 2016.Albert Low held a BA degree in Philosophy and Psychology, and was a trained counselor. In 2003, he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws for scholastic attainment and community service by Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario.As an internationally acclaimed author, he had fourteen books published, some of which have been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Turkish.

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      Book preview

      Working with Zen Koans - Albert Low

      Working with Koans

      in Zen Buddhism

      Albert Low

      _

      Smashwords Edition

      Version 2012-01-28

      Copyright 2009 Albert Low

      ISBN 978-0-986-63183-2

      http://www.albertlow.ca

      License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should go to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      If you find any errors in the formatting of this book (spelling mistakes, etc), please email us at: awlbooks@shaw.ca. We will provide you with a free update once the errors have been corrected.

      Thank you for purchasing this ebook. When you are finished reading, won't you please take a moment to rate it and write your review on the retailers website where you purchased it? Reviews help other readers like yourself make more informed purchase decisions. Thank you.

      Table of Contents

      1. Why use koans?

      2. Koans Do Not Contain Symbols

      3. A Koan Is Not an Exercise or Technique

      4. Koans Have No Teaching

      5. A Koan Is Not A Mantra

      6. Prajnâ: Arouse the Mind Without Resting It Upon Anything

      7. Ordinary Mind Is The Way

      8. Working On Koans

      9. Faith, Doubt and Perseverance

      10. Different Kinds of Koans

      11. The Essence and the Function

      12. The Break through Koans

      13. Koan 17 of the Hekiganroku

      14. Koan 1 of the Mumonkan

      15. Notes

      16. About the Author

      _

      Why use koans?

      When we use words, as I am using them now, truth slips through the cracks. Words freeze experience into solid blocks. We try to fit the blocks together with reason and seal them together with logic, but they fit badly, and we cannot help leaving gaps through which the vitality of a situation leaks away. ‘Silence,’ ‘presence,’ ‘hearing,’ ‘something,’ these are all words and, as such, are part of what we call the world. Yet, as a moment’s meditation will show, silence itself is not out there, nor is presence. It is not in here either. To believe the inside of the skull, or the inside of the chest cavity, is in some way nearer truth than out there, is still to be lost in the building blocks of words. Out there, in here -- more words and more confusion, where the truth is so simple and direct.

      Because words can no more hold the truth than a net can hold water, we use koans. Koans are sayings, or doings, of Zen masters, the patriarchs and Buddha. Take for example the koan: The Sound of One Hand clapping. In its entirety it reads: You know the sound of two hands clapping. What is the sound of one hand clapping? The obvious, intellectual answer is,

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