koan
pronunciation
How to pronounce koan in British English:
UK [kəʊn]
How to pronounce koan in American English:
US [koʊn]
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- Noun:
- a paradoxical annecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning
Word Origin
- koan (n.)
- Zen paradox, 1946, from Japanese ko "public" + an "matter for thought."
Example
- 1. After meditation he lectures on the kattoshu , a koan collection .
- 2. " Koan hotel " , near the village of koan , from cheng east turn into a lane through the train culverts , is a shortcut , this authentic restaurant is a big dining-type restaurants , a table to bring up several times in order to meet the rising masses loss of appetite .
- 3. This paper focuses on the analysis of this " academic koan " .
- 4. This is not a zen koan , but a legislative one , being tested this month in tennessee .