What is the sound of one hand clapping? Learn how zen kōans can help open your mind and boost creativity.
Zen practitioners have been using zen kōans for centuries as a way to open minds, challenge beliefs, train creative thinking, and discover one’s true nature. Much like creativity, the whole point of zen kōans is to find new perspectives and train creative thinking. Here are some zen kōans to open your mind and boost creativity.
What Is a Zen Kōan?
A kōan (公案) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the “great doubt” and to practice or test a student’s progress in Zen.
- Kōans are one of the most meaningful practices in Zen Buddhism.
- Usually translated as “nonsensical,” the sentences have a much greater purpose.
- Breaking beyond concepts in meditation is a driving factor of the kōan.
A Cup of Tea
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen.Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full and then kept on pouring.
The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
“Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
Meaning
Perhaps the most well-known Zen kōan, A Cup Of Tea, is all about the importance of keeping an open mind. The imagery of the cup overflowing symbolizes the need to let things go so we can continue to learn and grow. In creativity, there’s always another point of view or method of addressing a problem. If we hold onto past ideas and refuse to keep learning, unlearning, and relearning, the mind can’t stay sharp or enter the creative process. Stay humble, let things go, keep learning, and keep an open mind.
The Gates of Paradise
A soldier named Nobushige came to Hakuin, and asked: “Is there really a paradise and a hell?”
“Who are you?” inquired Hakuin. “I am a samurai,” the warrior replied.
“You, a soldier!” exclaimed Hakuin. “What kind of ruler would have you as his guard? Your face looks like that of a beggar.” Nobushige became so angry that he began to draw his sword, but Hakuin continued: “So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head.”
As Nobushige drew his sword Hakuin remarked: “Here open the gates of hell!” At these words, the samurai, perceiving the master’s discipline, sheathed his sword and bowed.
“Here open the gates of paradise,” said Hakuin.
Meaning
The difference between heaven and hell is often a matter of perspective. How will you choose to perceive the experiences of your journey? This kōan is all about self-awareness. In the creative, self-awareness helps people recognize and capitalize on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses. Since creativity is often a method of self-expression, you can’t get far without having a good sense of self-awareness. In his influential bestseller, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Harvard psychologist Daniel Goleman has a great comment on this kōan,
“The sudden awakening of the samurai to his own agitated state illustrates the crucial difference between being caught up in a feeling and becoming aware that you are being swept away by it. Socrates’s injunction, ‘Know thyself’ speaks to the keystone of emotional intelligence: awareness of one’s own feelings as they occur.”
His comment also speaks to the power of self-awareness when we lose ourselves to creative blocks. Recognizing you’ve been swept away in a negative feeling is the first step in moving towards a more optimistic point of view.
Maybe
There is a Taoist story of an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically. “Maybe,” the farmer replied.
The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed. “Maybe,” replied the old man.
The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. “Maybe,” answered the farmer.
The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “Maybe,” said the farmer.
Meaning
This Zen kōan is all about the Taoist practice of Wu Wei or non-action. This farmer has mastered the art of letting go and letting life take its course. In the end, you can’t control fate. If you fight nature and the universe, you will lose, but if you act in harmony and let go of control, you can find stillness and contentment. As Lao Tzu once said, “He who is contented is rich.”
A Parable
A man traveling across a field encountered a tiger. He fled, the tiger after him. Coming to a precipice, he caught hold of the root of a wild vine and swung himself down over the edge. The tiger sniffed at him from above. Trembling, the man looked down to where, far below, another tiger was waiting to eat him. Only the vine sustained him.
Two mice, one white and one black, little by little started to gnaw away the vine. The man saw a luscious strawberry near him. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other. How sweet it tasted!
Meaning
This zen kōan is a perfect example of the power of living in the moment. Like the zen Enso circle, living in the moment when the mind is free to create is the ideal state for creativity to flourish. Now more than ever, humanity is surrounded by distractions, pessimism, and reminders of our mortality. Research has shown that stress on the brain hurts creativity. It’s hard to avoid stress and the crushing feeling of nothingness, but returning to the moment can be the first step in relieving stress and finding contentment. When one has caught between a rock and a hard place, the best thing to do is stop and breathe.
Learn to respond, not react. Lao Zi once asked, “Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?” When we learn to be mindful of the present moment and choose how to respond, we can discover new solutions and perspectives.
Open Your Own Treasure House
Daiju visited the master Baso in China. Baso asked: “What do you seek?”
“Enlightenment,” replied Daiju.
“You have your own treasure house. Why do you search outside?” Baso asked.
Daiju inquired: “Where is my treasure house?”
Baso answered: “What you are asking is your treasure house.”
Daiju was delighted! Ever after he urged his friends: “Open your own treasure house and use those treasures.”
Meaning
This kōan reflects the paradox of enlightenment. Most of us are looking outside ourselves for the answers when the reality is that the truth is within. All zen kōans have the same lesson. It’s about going within to find the answers. For example, everyone is creative. It’s just a matter of learning to express yourself. Of course, you need to practice and learn the skills needed, but at the end of the day, creativity comes from within.
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
