What Are Koans?

• What Are Koans
• The Brick Koan
• The UFO Koan
• Lateral thinking
• 10th Person System
• The Soul Conundrum

What Are Koans

A kōan (Koh-Ahn; Japanese: 公案; Chinese: 公案; pinyin: gōng'àn [kʊ́ŋ ân]; Korean: 화두, Romanized: hwadu; Vietnamese: công án).

A Koan is a paradoxical anecdote or complex esoteric riddle which may or may not have a solution. The object of the exercise it to think tangentially, laterally and horizontally - not just vertically.

Sometimes it is like telling a joke in another language where you have to know the language. Sometimes it may involve combining words, thoughts and actions to find the answer.

I was taught that there are 3 basic Zen Koan types I should focus on.

1. is the "esoteric parable" Koan - where there are esoteric lessons to be learned. For example, the "Hyakujo's Fox Koan" .
2. is the concept Koan like "Being where you are not" or "Be like a corner in an empty room".
3. is the Lateral Koans where you learn about existential lateral thinking.

The Double Slit Experiment is a good example of existential lateral thinking. Some say that The Double Slit experiment is oxymoron proof that we exist - but only when we are looking - or is this "true or false"? .

Koans may also be mathematical like in India where you have theoretical math problems like the RAJJU and the PALYA.

See more information about the "Rajju and Palya" here.

Zen Buddhism

Koans are used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the "often inadequacy of logical reasoning and provoke Enlightenment.

They are designed to get you thinking outside of your 3 dimensional personal paradox.

Some Koans are lateral, some are mathematical, some or purely mental with no finite outcome and some just are.

One very quick example of this a lateral Koan I was told around 1987 - it goes like this:

The Brick Koan

You are sitting in a plane at 30,000 feet (9 Kms) and you are located in the window seat beside the wing with a clear and unobstructed view of the wing.

As you are looking at the wing, a (house) brick suddenly lands gently on the wing and stays there.

What do you do?

• If you use logic, you lose.
• Note that a Koan often has nothing to do with reality, they are mental exercises.

The Brick Koan is even more perplexing for people who visualize jokes.

Some Koans are about reality and some are esoteric and both are designed to help you gain a stronger foothold on the reality of reality and not just the perception of contrived reality.

When I lived in Egypt I used to wear a "Jalabiya" (long white dress thing) because of several reasons - but mainly so that I was not targeted as a tourist or foreigner. (also things were much cheaper to buy if they thought you were a local)

Most "long term" tourists go to foreign countries and dress like they do at home, and they stand out as tourists.

I have seen this in many countries I have been to where people do not blend in with the locals.

Koans are like this because it is not what you think reality is, it is the reality that "just" is and you need to blend in with that reality both physically and mentally (spiritually).

In order for you to blend in, you need to change - cautiously of course - but change and evolve "UP" you must, because you were not put here to stagnate or else you would still be 1 year old.

We often see people - these days - saying things that are totally 1,000% fabrications and yet they want "us" to believe their delusions simply because they say so.

My point here is that people who have never thought outside their own tiny microscopic bubbles, rarely have a solid grasp on any kind of reality.

If you want to evolve spiritually, then you must exercise your mind by utilizing "Zen" concepts which expand your ability to grasp the truth of "Reality" and not what you perceive reality to be.

Remember this: Most of what you believe has been taught to you by people who rarely IF ever "fact-checked" their sources.

The "Fox Koan" is a good example of this expansion.

Immitating Reality Is Not Always Good ↟↟

If you have ever watched ANY movie, then you are watching something which did not happen, no matter how close to the supposed real "story" the movie is purported to be.

This is because it is - and can only be - an imitation of the real or unreal events.

Just like a good movie, the Koan is often designed to "draw you in" to a TransDimensional (what if - how can - is that) state of mind.

One of the benefits of learning Koans and "Zen" is that you are less likely to be deceived.

The same logic applies if you study the "Mahabharata" and the "Talmud" - however, the Talmud is structured in a way that is easier to read (IMO).

In the Mahabharata, particularly in the "Shanti Parva" (Book 12) and the "Sabha Parva" (Book 2), function as a foundational legal text (DharmaShastra) exploring ethics, jurisprudence and statecraft.

Key legal aspects include Rajadharma (duties of kings), Apaddharma (ethics in adversity), and dharma regarding conflict.

Dharma (righteous duty), regarding conflict is a key discussion regarding Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita. "Volume 1" + "Volume 2".

These teach your brain to think in munti-dimensional and even structured legalistic concepts.

Basically they help expand the wiring of your brain.

The Psychology Of Deception ↟↟

Talking about imitations - did you know that "commercial" Vanilla Essence may actually be made from either chemicals or cow manure? - and most CAFO cattle are fed GMO corn + antibiotics + steroids etc. +

Your sense of smell is directly connected to your hippocampus and your amygdala which are purportedly the parts of your brain associated with emotion and memory.

This is processed in a part of your brain called the "olfactory bulb" which receives smell information signals from olfactory receptor-neurons in your nose.

Once you by-pass the the "reality gene" by using smell as a precursor to make-believe land, then you can literally feed people BS (or in this case CS) and they will believe it. This is well known in the genetic sciences arena.

The "trick" (if you will) with chemical flavors is to target the sense of smell first and then (in most cases) the body will accept the "flavor" as being what is purported to be. This faux flavoring is very popular in Japan and quickly spreading to other countries.

So your favorite ice cream may be less appetizing than you thought.

This deception applies to humans on another level as well, and this is emotional dissonance, usually caused by fear or greed.

It is well known in PsyOps-101 that people will give up their freedoms (Physical and Mental and Religious) if they believe that there is a physical threat against them OR if something will stop them doing their favorite past-times (whatever that may be).

You may like to research "Operation Northwoods" and see if it sounds familiar? +

Perhaps this should be called the Vanilla Koan?

Original Yak Story

The original story I was told of this Koan was that you are climbing a very tall mountain along a very narrow path, when suddenly a Yak flies up and stands in your way. What do you do?

Since most people do not know what a Yak is, I have modified it to the plane + brick example. Click Yak image.

It should also be noted that many people who have "near death experiences" also speak about getting answers to questions before they have finished asking the question.

The UFO Koan

The UFO Koan goes like this:

You are hitchhiking and a UFO lands and offers you a lift to another Solar System.

What do you do?

I like The UFO Koan because it involves quick progressive thinking.

You need to ask a lot of questions before you get in.

• Which solar system?
• Is there a habitable planet there?
• Will I be able to safely stay on that planet?
• What level of technology do they have? ***
• Will there be other people (like me) there?
• Will they be friendly to me?
• How tall are they?
• Are they racist?
• What can I eat?
• Does the UFO have toilets?
• etc etc etc

*** No point getting out on a planet still in the dinosaur age inhabited by chlorophyll green giants.

Lateral Thinking

Lateral thinking v's Vertical thinking?

Lateral thinking differs from vertical thinking completely.

When you're thinking vertically, you are going straight for the obvious and accepted answer, but when you are thinking laterally, you might come up with (None, One or Many) alternative solutions to a Koan or riddle that requires you to piece extraneous concepts together to come up with a "potential" answer regardless of how creative the answer may seem.

This is sometimes referred to as "Weaving" because you are making seemingly unrelated threads and connecting them to make yourself a spiritual garment to surround (cover) yourself with esoteric and alternative thoughts.

Believe it or not, but this is how your soul evolves faster.

Lateral thinking encourages you to use mental creativity because, for most lateral thinking puzzles and conundrums, there are a few ways you "may possibly" come up with a "correct" answer or answers - "IF" one exists at all.

These solutions are more about mind expanding creativity than they are about political, social or scientific correctness.

Quick Question: Is a straight line still a straight line on a sphere?

10th Person System

Incorporate the The 10th Person System into your brain.

The 10th Person System is where you have 10 people and a puzzle or problem and everyone agrees on a solution or outcome.

However, one of the 10 is then appointed to debunk the "answer" or solution. No matter how glaringly obvious the answer appears to be.

This was designed as an anti-fraud checksum (without computers).

Lateral Thinking forces your mind to become the 10 Person (or your own devils advocate in modern vernacular).

The Soul Conundrum

The Soul Conundrum goes like this.

1. If our souls are made of "Light" what color is your soul?
2. If souls have no genitalia, what gender is your soul?

Race and skin color are delusional misdirected ideologies of the uneducated - who unfortunately thrive on this planet.

I have actually met people who got angry when I asked them these questions.

Why?

Because it destroys their delusional ideology.

The Soul Conundrum is most disturbing for my Muslim friends, especially the older ones (over 50).

• I ask them "What good are 72 virgins when you have no genitals?"
• I also ask them "What good are 72 virgins at your age?"
• I also ask them "Who wants 72 she-camels in heat?"

I am still waiting for answers.

For me, religion is a path to asking questions or else why were we created with such big brains? "The 4 Verses"

Was it to sit on a lounge, eat GMO corn chips and watch TV? Then die miserably from some disease like cancer caused by toxins in our foods?