the sound of one hand clapping I loved this koan since I first heard it when I was very young, and I have always loved the way it raises a seemingly insoluble question. One day, in the enthusiasm of youth, I discovered my long fingers were able to clap back on my palm loudly enough to make a small noise. As I heard a faint clap from my hand, I was surprised and delighted... and inspired to practice more. Some decades past that first one-handed clap, I can now clap quite clearly and loudly with one hand. While I realize such one-handed clapping is not the point of the original koan, the happy sound of one-handed claps always makes me smile. I find in this exercise the joy of the idea that even some of the most impossible things can be achieved when we refrain from thinking they are impossible, and when we practice, practice, practice.
I just spent 3 and a half hours reading this thread from start to finish. I still don't know the answer.
It is the same as one lip flapping. It is someone who thinks he is wise attempting to prove it. regards koyo
what I ask is why should it matter what the sound of a single hand is? Is it not just a concept to consider, a device to use?
By this point, you've gotten so far away from the actual koan itself, that you're running around in circles. In Koan practice, you must be sure you have the EXACT wording of the Koan, and bring in NO, NIL, ZERO outside ideas, concepts, pictures, or explanations. The only thing needed in koan practice is the koan itself.
There isn't supposed to be an answer. You're supposed to meditate on the riddle and achieve some degree of enlightenment or some such through that meditation. It's simply a mental exercise.
You won't. If anything, threads like these will only hinder your practice. Koan practice is meant to be guided by a Zen teacher. Your discussions of the Koan are to be between you & him. They are not meant for people intellectual masturbate to.
Koan??? Nuts. I thought we were discussing text from the Koran. *Sigh* Time to go back to post # 1 and start over. Again. Yes, I know it's spelt Qur'an. It was for comedic effect.
