koan
[
koh
-ahn]
/ˈkoʊ ɑn/
noun
,
plural
koans,
koan.
Zen.
1.
a nonsensical or paradoxical question to a student for which an answer is demanded, the stress of meditation on the question often being illuminating.
Compare
mondo
Origin
1945-50;
<
Japanese
kōan,
earlier
koũ-an
<
Middle Chinese,
equivalent to
Chinese
gōngàn
public proposal
Examples from the web for
koan
The lack of variety in the landscape here is our
koan
.
British Dictionary definitions for
koan
koan
/
ˈkəʊæn
/
noun
1.
(in Zen Buddhism) a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution
Word Origin
from Japanese
Word Origin and History for
koan
n.
Zen paradox, 1946, from Japanese
ko
"public" +
an
"matter for thought."