koan

1. 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.
2. A riddle with no solution, used to provoke reflection on the inadequacy of logical reasoning, and to lead to enlightenment.
3. 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.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkəʊ.ɑːn/

Etymology

From Japanese 公案 (kōan), which was from Chinese 公案 (gōng'àn, “official business”).

Synonyms

Zen question for meditation

Translations

aporie

koan

Kôan

aporia

aporía