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koans

/ˈkoʊænz/ /ˈkoʊnz/

Meanings
noun
A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable, 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.

Examples :

"The Zen master presented his students with a collection of koans, hoping the puzzling stories would spark enlightenment through deep contemplation. "
story philosophy religion mind soul literature tradition culture

Related Words

Illustration presented

presented verb

/pɹɪˈzɛntɪd/

To bring (someone) into the presence of (a person); to introduce formally.

"to present an envoy to the king"

Illustration enlightenment

enlightenment noun

/-laɪtmənt/

An act of enlightening, or the state of being enlightened or instructed.

"After attending the lecture, I experienced a moment of enlightenment about the complexities of quantum physics. "

Illustration unsolvable

unsolvable adjective

/ˌʌnˈsɒlvəbəl/ /ˌʌnˈsɑːlvəbəl/

Not solvable.

"The math problem was unsolvable for the student. "

Illustration collection

collection noun

/kəˈlɛkʃən/

A set of items or amount of material procured or gathered together.

"The asteroid belt consists of a collection of dust, rubble, and minor planets."

Illustration sometimes

sometimes adjective

/ˈsʌmtaɪmz/

Former; sometime.

"My sometimes neighbor, a retired teacher, still visits the school occasionally. "

Illustration meditated

meditated verb

/ˈmɛdəˌteɪtɪd/ /ˈmɛdəˌteɪtəd/

To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon something; to study.

"Before making her decision, Maria meditated on all the possible outcomes. "

Illustration contemplation

contemplation noun

/ˌkɒntəmˈpleɪʃən/ /ˌkɑntəmˈpleɪʃən/

The act of contemplating; musing; being highly concentrated in thought

"After a long day at work, she found peace in quiet contemplation, reflecting on her achievements and challenges. "

Illustration reflection

reflection noun

/ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/

The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.

"The reflection in the window showed the changing colors of the sunset. "

Illustration understanding

understanding verb

/ʌndəˈstandɪŋ/ /ˌʌndəɹˈstændɪŋ/

To grasp a concept fully and thoroughly, especially (of words, statements, art, etc.) to be aware of the meaning of and (of people) to be aware of the intent of.

"The teacher patiently explained the math problem, and the students were able to understand the steps involved. "

Illustration inadequacy

inadequacy noun

/ɪnˈædɪkwəsi/ /ɪˈnædɪkwəsi/

The state of being inadequate.

"The student's performance showed a clear inadequacy in understanding the material. "

Illustration reasoning

reasoning verb

/ˈɹiːzənɪŋ/

To deduce or come to a conclusion by being rational

"My sister reasoned that if she studied harder, she would get a better grade on her test. "

Illustration mechanisms

mechanisms noun

/ˈmekənɪzəmz/ /ˈmekənɪsm̩z/

(within a machine or machinery) Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.

"The bicycle's braking mechanisms allow the rider to safely slow down and stop. "