Question about koans

[FredFred]

I've heard about zen koans for a while now, but fail to understand the meaning of them.

Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?

What is a zen monk supposed to do with this? If he reflects on the enigma, his mind isn't silent. Or am I thinking about this the wrong way?

[Nahm]

Koans are wet furniture for bird cages. 

[Samra]

You can't understand koan with logic. That's the whole Point. It's supposed to snap you out of ordinary into another state. I think!

[ground]

2 hours ago, FredFred said:

I've heard about zen koans for a while now, but fail to understand the meaning of them.

Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?

What is a zen monk supposed to do with this? If he reflects on the enigma, his mind isn't silent. Or am I thinking about this the wrong way?

you focus / concentrate on the question continuously striving to anser it. It is a kind of concentrative meditation. A koan is a question that can't be answered conceptually, nevertheless the effort is directed towards a conceptual answer until the mind is like a hot knife and the koan like a piece of butter. The nonconceptual freedom attained then makes possible a spontaneous answer/reaction when being asked.

[Leo Gura]

They are pretty silly. In the end you're just better off wondering: What is existence? or What am I?

The koans will make sense only after awakening.

[lmfao]

@Leo Gura do you know what the sound of one hand clapping is? 

[Leo Gura]

The answer to all koans is: Mu

But for that to be true for you, you must catch the ox.

[lmfao]

@Leo Gura @Leo Gura I remember you put this video on your blog:

The student responded to his koan by yelling "Mu" yet master told him his answer came not from emptiness. 

When you say "Mu" is the answer to all koans, are you perhaps saying that it isn't the phrase "mu" which is the answer but the answer is anything which exhibits that you've been in contact with emptiness? So does solving a koan depend on your ability to convince a master that you're coming from emptiness? Like if I had to present an answer to what sound one hand clapping makes I'll just shout "Pop" or something to show that the sound happens and comes out of nowhere despite no cause. Idk what I'm talking about at this point lol. 

Edit: or better yet, if I was a smart ass I might just answer the riddle by clapping both my hands to show that what is two is one and what is one is two or some shit. 

Edited November 27, 2018 by lmfao

[FredFred]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

The answer to all koans is: Mu

But for that to be true for you, you must catch the ox.

I think I'll put aside the koans for now 

[Leo Gura]

54 minutes ago, lmfao said:

When you say "Mu" is the answer to all koans, are you perhaps saying that it isn't the phrase "mu" which is the answer but the answer is anything which exhibits that you've been in contact with emptiness?

When I say the answer to all koans is Mu, I mean the ACTUAL Mu, not the word or the idea of it.

Saying Mu while in ego-consciousness is pointless. You must speak Mu from Mu-consciousness. This is what the Zen master is testing for. Are you speaking from Mu-consciousness? Is Mu actual for you?

Only if you are awake is Mu actual.

When you are in Mu-consciousness, you will not even need to speak Mu to the master. Just looking at your face, he will know.

[lmfao]

@Leo Gura

10 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

When you are in Mu-consciousness, you will not even need to speak Mu to the master. Just looking at your face, he will know.

Sound epic