How do you use Koan in a sentence? See 10+ example sentences showing how this word appears in different contexts, including synonyms like problem, plus the exact meaning.
Koan meaning
- A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable or parable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student’s mind leading to satori.
- A riddle with no solution, used to provoke reflection on the inadequacy of logical reasoning, and to lead to enlightenment.
- A therapy technique used by Traditional Chinese medicinal physicians or medical practitioners to break a presenting patients habitual pattern of thinking that has been diagnosed as the primary cause of an illness or disease.
Synonyms of Koan
Using Koan
- The main meaning on this page is: A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable or parable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student’s mind leading to satori. | A riddle with no solution, used to provoke reflection on the inadequacy of logical reasoning, and to lead to enlightenment. | A therapy technique used by Traditional Chinese medicinal physicians or medical practitioners to break a presenting patients habitual pattern of thinking that has been diagnosed as the primary cause of an illness or disease.
- Useful related words include: problem.
- In the example corpus, koan often appears in combinations such as: of koan.
Context around Koan
- Average sentence length in these examples: 23.9 words
- Position in the sentence: 5 start, 2 middle, 4 end
- Sentence types: 11 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Koan
- In this selection, "koan" usually appears near the start of the sentence. The average example has 23.9 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, zen, sfn, sitcom, study, commentary and manuals stand out and add context to how "koan" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include analysing the koan for its and by further koan study for. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "koan" sits close to words such as aadi, aayush and abbottabad, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with koan
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on the Zen Practice of Koan Study. (12 words)
It follows the so-called Harada-Yasutani koan-curriculum, which is derived from Hakuin 's student Takuju. (17 words)
The old sitcom koan dictates that nothing and no one radically changes over the course of a show’s run. (20 words)
In Soto-Zen, koan commentary was not linked to seated meditation.sfn Koan manuals When the Chán-tradition was introduced in Japan, Japanese monks had to master the Chinese language and specific expressions used in the koan-training. (38 words)
In Rinzai-Zen, this further practice is undertaken by further koan-study, for which elaborate curriculae exist.sfnsfn In Soto-Zen, Shikantaza is the main practice for deepening insight. (29 words)
Koan curricula are, in fact, subject to continued accretion and evolution over time, and thus are best considered living traditions of practice rather than set programs of study. (28 words)
Example sentences (11)
In Soto-Zen, koan commentary was not linked to seated meditation.sfn Koan manuals When the Chán-tradition was introduced in Japan, Japanese monks had to master the Chinese language and specific expressions used in the koan-training.
The old sitcom koan dictates that nothing and no one radically changes over the course of a show’s run.
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.
Despite belonging to the Rinzai-school, Musō Soseki also made extensive use of richi (teaching), explaining the sutras, instead of kikan (koan).
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.
In Rinzai-Zen, this further practice is undertaken by further koan-study, for which elaborate curriculae exist.sfnsfn In Soto-Zen, Shikantaza is the main practice for deepening insight.
It follows the so-called Harada-Yasutani koan-curriculum, which is derived from Hakuin 's student Takuju.
Koan curricula are, in fact, subject to continued accretion and evolution over time, and thus are best considered living traditions of practice rather than set programs of study.
Originally published in Japan almost a century ago as a critique of fossilization of Zen, that is formalization of koan practice.
Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on the Zen Practice of Koan Study.
The curriculum takes considerably less time to study than the Takuju-curriculum of Rinzai.sfn To attain kensho, most students are assigned the mu-koan.
Common combinations with koan
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- of koan 2×