A koan is not a riddle to be solved — it is a barrier that dissolves the solver.

From the Mumonkan (無門関) — The Gateless Gate

Compiled by Mumon Ekai, 1228 CE. The backbone of Rinzai Zen training.

1. Jōshū's Dog

A monk asked Jōshū, "Does a dog have Buddha-nature or not?"

Jōshū said, "Mu."

2. Hyakujō's Fox

An old man attended Hyakujō's lectures unseen for years, then revealed himself: "In a past life, I was head of this monastery. A student asked, 'Does an enlightened person fall under cause and effect?' I answered, 'No.' For that I was reborn as a fox for five hundred lifetimes. I beg you — does an enlightened person fall under cause and effect?"

Hyakujō said, "An enlightened person does not ignore cause and effect."

The old man was instantly liberated.

3. Gutei's Finger

Whenever Gutei was asked about Zen, he simply raised one finger.

A boy attendant began imitating him. Gutei seized the boy and cut off his finger. As the boy ran away screaming, Gutei called out. The boy turned — and Gutei raised his finger. The boy was suddenly enlightened.

4. The Barbarian Has No Beard

Wakuan said, "Why has the Western Barbarian no beard?"

(Bodhidharma is always depicted with a great beard.)

5. Kyōgen's Man Up a Tree

Kyōgen said: "A man hangs from a tree branch by his teeth. His hands grasp no bough, his feet rest on no limb. Someone below asks him, 'Why did Bodhidharma come from the West?' If he does not answer, he fails. If he answers, he falls to his death. What should he do?"

6. The Buddha Holds Up a Flower

The World-Honored One held up a flower before the assembled monks. All were silent. Only Mahākāshyapa broke into a broad smile.

The Buddha said, "I have the True Dharma Eye, the marvelous mind of Nirvana, the subtle gate that does not rest on words. This I entrust to Mahākāshyapa."

7. Jōshū's "Wash Your Bowl"

A monk said to Jōshū, "I have just entered this monastery. Please teach me."

"Have you eaten your rice gruel?"

"Yes, I have."

"Then go wash your bowl."

The monk was enlightened.

8. Keichū Makes Carts

Gettan said: "Keichū made two wheels of fifty spokes each. Suppose you removed the hub uniting them — what would you have?"

9. A Buddha Before History

A monk asked, "Daitsu Chishō Buddha sat in zazen for ten kalpas and could not attain Buddhahood. How could this be?"

Seijō said, "Because he did not become a Buddha."

10. Seizei Is Destitute

Seizei said, "I am solitary and poor. Please help me."

Sōzan called out, "Seizei!" — "Yes, sir!" —

Sōzan said, "You have already drunk three cups of the finest wine in China, and still you say you have not moistened your lips."

11. Jōshū Tests Two Hermits

Jōshū visited a hermit and asked, "Is the master in?" The hermit raised his fist.

Jōshū said, "The water is too shallow to anchor here," and left.

He visited another hermit and asked the same. This hermit also raised his fist.

Jōshū said, "Free to give, free to take, free to kill, free to save," and bowed deeply.

12. Zuigan Calls Himself "Master"

Every day Zuigan called out, "Master!" and answered himself, "Yes, sir!"

"Become sober!" — "Yes, sir!"

"Do not be deceived by others!" — "Yes, sir! Yes, sir!"

13. Tokusan Holds His Bowls

Tokusan went toward the dining room carrying his bowls. Seppō said, "The bell has not rung and the drum has not sounded. Where are you going?"

Tokusan turned back to his room.

Seppō told Gantō, who said, "Old Tokusan has not grasped the last word of Zen."

The next day Tokusan gave a different kind of talk. Gantō clapped and laughed: "How wonderful! Old Tokusan has grasped the last word of Zen! From now on, nobody in the whole country can outdo him."

14. Nansen Cuts the Cat in Two

Nansen saw monks quarreling over a cat. He seized it and said, "If any of you can say a word of Zen, you will save the cat." No one answered. Nansen cut the cat in two.

That evening, Jōshū returned and heard this. He placed his sandals on his head and walked out.

Nansen said, "If you had been there, you would have saved the cat."

15. Tōzan's Three Pounds of Flax

A monk asked Tōzan, "What is Buddha?"

"Three pounds of flax."

16. The Bell and the Seven-Piece Robe

Unmon said, "The world is vast and wide. Why do you put on your seven-piece robe at the sound of the bell?"

17. The National Teacher Calls Three Times

The National Teacher called his attendant three times, and three times the attendant answered.

The National Teacher said, "I long thought I was failing you, but actually it is you who have been failing me."

18. Nansen's "Ordinary Mind Is the Way"

Jōshū asked Nansen, "What is the Way?"

"Ordinary mind is the Way."

"Should I try to direct myself toward it?"

"If you try to direct yourself, you move away from it."

"If I don't try, how will I know it is the Way?"

"The Way does not belong to knowing or not-knowing. Knowing is delusion. Not-knowing is blankness. If you truly reach the genuine Way, you will find it as vast and boundless as outer space. How can it be talked about on the level of right and wrong?"

Jōshū was suddenly enlightened.

19. Unmon's "Dried Dung Stick"

A monk asked Unmon, "What is Buddha?"

"A dried dung stick."

20. Jōshū's Stone Bridge

A monk said, "The stone bridge of Jōshū is famous everywhere, but I just find a simple log bridge."

"You see only the log bridge. You do not see the stone bridge."

"What is the stone bridge?"

"Horses cross over it. Donkeys cross over it."

21. Kashyapa's Flagpole

Ānanda asked Kashyapa, "The World-Honored One gave you the golden robe. What else did he transmit?"

Kashyapa called out, "Ānanda!" — "Yes?"

"Knock down the flagpole at the gate."

22. Think Neither Good Nor Evil

The monk Myō pursued the Sixth Patriarch up a mountain for the robe and bowl. The Patriarch laid them on a rock. Myō tried to lift them but could not — they were heavy as a mountain. Trembling, he said, "I came for the Dharma, not the robe."

The Sixth Patriarch said, "Think neither good nor evil. At this very moment — what is your original face, the face you had before your father and mother were born?"

Myō was suddenly enlightened.

23. Fuketsu's Speech and Silence

Fuketsu said, "If you speak, thirty blows. If you do not speak, thirty blows."

24. Two Monks Roll Up the Blinds

Hōgen noticed the bamboo screen had not been rolled up. He pointed to it. Two monks arose and rolled it up.

Hōgen said, "One has gained, one has lost."

25. Baso's "This Mind Is Not Buddha"

A monk asked Baso, "What is Buddha?"

"This mind is not Buddha."

26. Baso's "This Very Mind Is Buddha"

Daibai asked Baso, "What is Buddha?"

"This very mind is Buddha."

27. The Sixth Patriarch's Flag

Two monks argued about a flag. One said, "The flag is moving." The other said, "The wind is moving."

The Sixth Patriarch said, "Not the wind, not the flag — mind is moving."

28. Jōshū's "Oak Tree in the Garden"

A monk asked, "What is the meaning of Bodhidharma's coming from the West?"

"The oak tree in the garden."

29. Unmon's "Every Day Is a Good Day"

Unmon said, "I don't ask you about before the fifteenth day. Say something about after the fifteenth day."

He answered for everyone: "Every day is a good day."

30. A Non-Buddhist Questions the Buddha

A non-Buddhist said, "I do not ask for words. I do not ask for non-words."

The World-Honored One sat silently.

The non-Buddhist said in praise, "The compassion of the World-Honored One has opened the clouds of my delusion and enabled me to enter the Way."

Ānanda later asked the Buddha what the non-Buddhist had realized. The Buddha said, "A good horse runs even at the shadow of the whip."

31. Jōshū's "Go Drink Tea"

Jōshū asked a monk, "Have you been here before?" — "Yes." — "Go drink tea."

He asked another monk the same. "No." — "Go drink tea."

The head monk asked, "Why the same answer to both?"

Jōshū said, "Go drink tea."

32. Meeting a Zen Master on the Road

Goso said: "When you meet a Zen master on the road, you cannot speak, you cannot be silent. What will you do?"

33. Suigan's Eyebrows

At the end of the summer period, Suigan said, "All summer I have lectured to you. Look — are Suigan's eyebrows still there?"

Hofuku said, "The robber's heart is full of fear."

Chōkei said, "They have grown."

Unmon said, "Kan!" (A barrier!)

34. Not Mind, Not Buddha, Not Things

A monk asked Nansen, "Is there a teaching no master has ever taught?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"It is not mind, it is not Buddha, it is not things."

35. Kyōzan's Dream

In a dream, Kyōzan went to Maitreya's place. A senior monk announced, "Today the one in the third seat will speak."

Kyōzan rose, struck the gavel, and said, "The truth of the Mahayana is beyond the four propositions and transcends the hundred negations. Listen! Listen!"

From the Hekiganroku (碧巖錄) — The Blue Cliff Record

Compiled by Setchō, c. 1000 CE, with commentary by Engo, 1125 CE. 100 koans — the pinnacle of Zen literature.

Case 1. Bodhidharma's "Vast Emptiness"

Emperor Wu asked Bodhidharma, "What is the highest meaning of the holy truths?"

"Vast emptiness, nothing holy."

"Who is this standing before me?"

"I don't know."

Case 2. The Ultimate Path Has No Difficulty

Jōshū said, "The Ultimate Path has no difficulty — just avoid picking and choosing."

A monk asked, "If you avoid picking and choosing, what is left?"

"In all of heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one."

"Isn't that still picking and choosing?"

"Stupid oaf! Where is the picking and choosing?"

Case 3. Sun-Face Buddha, Moon-Face Buddha

When Baso was gravely ill, the superintendent asked, "How has your health been?"

"Sun-Face Buddha, Moon-Face Buddha."

(Sun-Face Buddha lives 1,800 years. Moon-Face Buddha lives one day and one night.)

Case 5. Seppō's Grain of Rice

Seppō said, "All the great earth, if I pick it up with my fingertips, is the size of a grain of rice. I throw it down before you. You cannot see it. Beat the drum! Call everyone to search for it!"

Case 7. "You Are Echō"

A monk asked Hōgen, "What is Buddha?"

"You are Echō."

Case 18. The National Teacher's Seamless Monument

Emperor Shukusō asked the National Teacher, "After you die, what will you need?"

"Build me a seamless monument."

"What will a seamless monument look like?"

The National Teacher was silent for a long time, then asked, "Do you understand?"

"I do not understand."

"I have a Dharma successor, Tangen. He knows about this matter. Please ask him."

After the National Teacher died, the Emperor asked Tangen, "What does a seamless monument look like?"

Tangen said:

"South of Shō, north of Tan, / Within there is gold sufficient to fill the land. / Under the shadowless tree, the community ferryboat — / Within the crystal palace, there is no one who knows."

Case 20. Ryūge's "Burglars in an Empty House"

"What did the old masters attain when they entered the Ultimate?"

"They were like burglars sneaking into an empty house."

Case 37. Banzan's Three Worlds

"In the three worlds, there is no Dharma. Where would you look for mind?"

Case 40. Nansen's Flower

Officer Lu quoted the monk Jō: "Heaven and earth and I share one root. All things and I are of one substance."

Nansen pointed to a flower in the garden and said, "People of this generation see this flower as if in a dream."

Case 46. The Voice of the Raindrops

Kyōsei asked a monk, "What is that sound outside?"

"The sound of raindrops."

"All beings are upside down — they lose themselves pursuing things."

"What about you, Master?"

"I almost don't lose myself."

"What does 'almost' mean?"

"To say it is easy enough, but to express it fully in a phrase — that is very difficult."

Case 53. The Wild Duck

Baso was walking with Hyakujō. A wild duck flew by.

"What is that?" — "A wild duck." — "Where has it gone?" — "It has flown away."

Baso twisted Hyakujō's nose hard. Hyakujō cried out in pain.

"When has it ever flown away?"

Case 77. Unmon's "Rice Cake"

"What is talk that goes beyond Buddhas and patriarchs?"

"Rice cake."

Case 84. Vimalakīrti's Silence

Mañjuśrī asked Vimalakīrti, "What is the Bodhisattva's entry into the Gate of Non-Duality?"

Vimalakīrti remained silent.

Mañjuśrī exclaimed, "Wonderful! Not a single word or syllable — this truly is the entry into the Gate of Non-Duality."

From the Shōyōroku (從容録) — The Book of Equanimity

Compiled by Wanshi Shōgaku, c. 1224 CE. 100 koans favored in Sōtō Zen.

Case 1. The World-Honored One Ascends the Seat

The World-Honored One ascended the seat. Mañjuśrī struck the gavel and said, "Clearly observe the Dharma of the King of Dharma. The Dharma of the King of Dharma is thus."

The World-Honored One then descended from the seat.

Case 2. Bodhidharma's "Skin, Flesh, Bones, Marrow"

Bodhidharma asked his four disciples to demonstrate their understanding.

Dōfuku spoke of truth beyond affirmation and negation. "You have my skin."

Sōji compared it to a glimpse of Akshobhya Buddha's land. "You have my flesh."

Dōiku said the elements are empty and aggregates don't exist. "You have my bones."

Eka simply bowed deeply in silence.

"You have my marrow."

Case 15. Kyōzan and Sanshō

Kyōzan asked, "What is your name?"

"Ejaku."

"Ejaku! That's me!"

"My name is Enen."

Kyōzan laughed heartily.

Case 49. Tozan's "No Cold, No Heat"

A monk asked Tōzan, "How can we escape the cold and heat?"

"Why not go where there is no cold or heat?"

"Where is the place where there is no cold or heat?"

"When it is cold, let the cold kill you. When it is hot, let the heat kill you."

From Hakuin & Other Classic Sources

The Sound of One Hand

Hakuin asked: "You know the sound of two hands clapping. Tell me — what is the sound of one hand?"

Hakuin's "Is That So?"

Hakuin was praised as one living a pure life. A girl nearby became pregnant and, under pressure, named Hakuin as the father.

Her furious parents confronted him. "Is that so?" was all he said. He took the child and cared for it lovingly.

A year later, the girl confessed the real father was a fishmonger. The parents begged Hakuin's forgiveness and asked for the child back.

Yielding the child, all he said was, "Is that so?"

A Cup of Tea

Nan-in received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. He poured tea into the visitor's cup — and kept pouring as it overflowed.

"It's overfull! No more will go in!"

"Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?"

The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Ryōkan lived simply in a mountain hut. A thief broke in but found nothing to steal.

Ryōkan returned and said, "You should not leave empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift."

The thief took them and slunk away.

Ryōkan sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow — I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

Moving Mind

Banzan was walking through a market when he overheard a conversation between a butcher and his customer.

"Give me the best piece of meat you have," the customer said.

The butcher replied, "Everything in my shop is the best. You cannot find here any piece of meat that is not the best."

At these words, Banzan was enlightened.

Muddy Road

Tanzan and Ekido were walking along a muddy road. A lovely girl in a silk kimono stood unable to cross.

"Come on, girl," said Tanzan. He picked her up and carried her over the mud.

Ekido did not speak again until that night at the temple. Then he burst out: "We monks don't go near females, especially young and lovely ones. Why did you do that?"

"I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"

The Gates of Paradise

A famous soldier came to Hakuin and asked, "Is there really a heaven and a hell?"

"Who are you?" asked Hakuin.

"I am a samurai of the great Emperor's guard."

"You, a samurai!" Hakuin exclaimed. "What kind of ruler would have you as a guard? Your face looks like a beggar's!"

The soldier began to draw his sword in fury. Hakuin continued, "So you have a sword! I'll wager it's too dull to cut off my head."

As the samurai drew his sword, Hakuin said, "Here open the gates of hell."

Recognizing the master's teaching, the samurai sheathed his sword and bowed.

"Here open the gates of paradise," said Hakuin.

Joshu's "Mu" (Extended)

A monk asked, "If all things return to the One, where does the One return to?"

Jōshū said, "When I was in Seishū, I made a hempen shirt. It weighed seven pounds."

No Water, No Moon

The nun Chiyono studied Zen for years but could not attain enlightenment. One moonlit night she was carrying an old pail of water. The bamboo strip that held the pail together broke, and the bottom fell out. The water rushed out, the reflection of the moon vanished — and Chiyono was enlightened.

She wrote:

In this way and that I tried to save the old pail

Since the bamboo strip was weakening and about to break

Until at last the bottom fell out.

No more water in the pail! No more moon in the water!

Ikkyu's Skull

The poet-monk Ikkyū was once asked to write something for a family's prosperity.

He wrote: "Father dies, son dies, grandson dies."

The family was horrified. Ikkyū explained: "If your grandson should die before your son, this would grieve your family greatly. If each generation passes in proper order, this is the natural course of life. Is this not true prosperity?"

The Strawberry

A man fleeing a tiger came to the edge of a cliff. He caught hold of a wild vine and swung himself over the edge. Above, the tiger sniffed. Below, another tiger waited. Two mice, one white and one black, began to gnaw through the vine.

The man saw a luscious strawberry growing nearby. Grasping the vine with one hand, he plucked the strawberry with the other.

How sweet it tasted!

Ryōkan Plays with Children

Ryōkan spent entire days playing hide-and-seek with the village children. A monk said, "You're wasting your time. Why don't you teach them Zen?"

Ryōkan smiled and said, "What do you think I'm doing?"

Nothing Exists

Yamaoka Tesshū, as a young student of Zen, visited one master after another. He called upon Dokuon of Shōkoku.

Desiring to show his attainment, he said, "The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings, after all, do not exist. The true nature of phenomena is emptiness. There is no realization, no delusion, no sage, no mediocrity. There is no giving and nothing to be received."

Dokuon, who had been sitting quietly smoking his pipe, said nothing. Suddenly he whacked Yamaoka with his bamboo pipe.

The young man jumped up in anger.

"If nothing exists," said Dokuon, "where did this anger come from?"

Everything Is Best

Banzan, before he became a great Zen master, studied under Baso. One day Baso asked, "What do you seek?"

"Enlightenment."

"You have your own treasure house. Why do you search outside?"

"Where is my treasure house?"

"What you are asking is your treasure house."

Banzan was enlightened.

The First Principle

When Bodhidharma arrived in China, he sat facing a wall for nine years.

The monk Eka stood in the snow outside Bodhidharma's cave, waiting. Finally, he cut off his own arm to demonstrate his sincerity.

"Please pacify my mind!" Eka cried.

"Bring me your mind and I will pacify it," said Bodhidharma.

"I have searched for my mind but I cannot find it."

"Then I have already pacified it."

Shuzan's Short Staff

Shuzan held up a short staff and said, "If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call it?"

Hyakujō and the Water Vessel

Hyakujō wished to choose a new master for the monastery on Mount Tai. He placed a water vessel on the ground and said, "Who can say what this is without calling it a water vessel?"

The head monk said, "It cannot be called a wooden sandal."

Isan, the cook, kicked the vessel over and walked away.

Hyakujō named Isan the new master.

Tokusan's "Nothing"

Tokusan declared: "If you can say something, thirty blows. If you cannot say anything, thirty blows."

Unmon's "Shit-Stick"

A monk asked Unmon, "What is Buddha?"

"A shit-stick." (A stick used for wiping in the outhouse.)

Nansen Kills the Cat (The Other Side)

After Nansen told Jōshū what had happened with the cat, Jōshū placed his sandals on his head.

A monk later asked Jōshū, "What did that mean?"

Jōshū said, "If I had been there, the cat would have been saved."

Daizui's "Kalpa Fire"

A monk asked Daizui, "When the great kalpa fire blazes and the whole universe is destroyed, is this destroyed or not?"

Daizui said, "Destroyed."

The monk said, "Then it is gone with the rest?"

Daizui said, "Gone with the rest."

Isan's Buffalo

Isan said, "After I die, I will be reborn as a water buffalo at the foot of this mountain. On the buffalo's left side will be written: 'This is the monk Isan.' If you call it Isan, it is a water buffalo. If you call it a water buffalo, it is Isan. What will you call it?"

Rinzai's True Person

Rinzai said to his assembly: "There is a true person of no rank who is always going in and out of the face of every one of you. Those who have not yet recognized this — look! Look!"

A monk came forward and asked, "What is this true person of no rank?"

Rinzai grabbed him and said, "Speak! Speak!"

The monk hesitated. Rinzai let go of him and said, "The true person of no rank — what a shit-stick!"

Tōzan Crosses the Stream

Tōzan was crossing a stream. He saw his reflection in the water and was suddenly enlightened. He wrote:

Avoid seeking him in someone else

or you will be far, far from the self.

I go on alone now —

everywhere I meet him.

He is now no other than myself,

but I am not now him.

It must be understood in this way

in order to merge with Suchness.

Ummon's "Sesame Cake"

A monk asked Ummon, "What is talk that transcends Buddhas and Patriarchs?"

Ummon said, "Sesame cake!"

The Buffalo Passes Through the Window

Goso said, "A buffalo passes by a window. Its head, horns, and four legs all pass through. Why can't the tail pass through?"

Gensha's Three Invalids

Gensha said, "The old masters say, 'Bring all beings to the other shore.' But suppose you meet someone who is deaf, mute, and blind. They cannot see your gestures, hear your teaching, or speak to ask questions. If you cannot save such a person, Buddhism is without any power at all."

Hōgen's "Drip, Drip"

Hōgen pointed at a bamboo blind. Two monks got up to roll it up.

Hōgen said, "One has it. One has lost it."

Daito's "Last Word"

Emperor Godaigo asked Daito Kokushi for his last words as the master was dying.

Daito said, "I have cut off Buddhas and Patriarchs. The blowing rain extinguishes the flame. Have a cup of tea."

Jōshū's "Great Death"

A monk asked Jōshū, "What happens to a person who has died the Great Death?"

Jōshū said, "Why don't you ask from the other side?"

Kyōgen's "Sound of a Pebble"

Kyōgen had studied for years under Isan but could not break through. In frustration, he burned all his books and became a simple temple keeper. One day, while sweeping, a pebble struck a stalk of bamboo.

At the sound, he was enlightened.

He wrote:

One strike and I have forgotten all I knew.

No more need for artificial discipline.

The old path reveals itself in daily conduct.

I am not caught in the web of silence.

Seigen's Price of Rice

Seigen asked a monk, "Where do you come from?"

"From Jōshū."

"What is the price of rice in Jōshū?"

Tōsu's "Three Barriers"

Tōsu set three barriers for his students:

"You clear away the weeds and search for truth to see your nature. Right now, where is your nature?"

"When you have realized your nature, you are free from life and death. When the light of your eyes is falling — how will you be free?"

"When you are free from life and death, you know where to go. When the four elements scatter — where do you go?"

Nansen's "Water of the Old Pond"

Nansen said, "The mind is not the Buddha. Intelligence is not the Way."

A monk asked, "Is there anything you would not say to people?"

Nansen said, "Yes."

The monk asked, "What is it that you would not say?"

Nansen said, "It is not mind, not Buddha, not things."

Baizhang's Fox (Verse)

Not falling, not ignoring —

Two faces of one die.

Not ignoring, not falling —

A thousand errors, ten thousand mistakes.

Deshan's Bowls (Verse)

Setchō wrote:

The old lion has no tricks —

His cubs advance from both sides.

Speechless, he speaks a fine speech.

In total silence, a thunderous roar.

Koans from Zen Flesh, Zen Bones & Other Collections

Fudō's Fire

A student asked, "Master, how can I escape from the heat?"

The master said, "Go to the center of the fire."

"How can I escape the fire?"

"No further suffering will trouble you."

The Taste of Banzo's Sword

Matajuro wanted to become a great swordsman, but his father said he wasn't quick enough. So he went to the famous master Banzo and asked to become his student.

"How long will it take me?" asked Matajuro.

"Ten years."

"What if I work twice as hard?"

"Thirty years."

"What? If I practice day and night?"

"Seventy years."

"Why does it keep getting longer?"

"A man in such a hurry to get results seldom learns quickly."

Obaku Strikes the Emperor

Obaku was in the hall worshipping. The Emperor saw him and asked, "If we are not to seek from the Buddha, nor from the Dharma, nor from the Sangha, what are you seeking by worshipping?"

Obaku said, "I do not seek from the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Sangha. I always worship thus."

"What is the use of worshipping?"

Obaku slapped him.

"How rude!" cried the Emperor.

"Where is this place, that you talk of rude and polite?" said Obaku. And he slapped him again.

Zen in a Beggar's Life

Tosui was a well-known Zen teacher. He lived in many temples and taught in many provinces. The last temple he visited accumulated so many students that he told them, "I am going to leave and go live among the beggars, for they will not disturb my meditation."

So he left and lived under a bridge with beggars. One beggar asked, "Who are you?"

"I am a Zen teacher."

"What is Zen?"

"If you don't know, ask the wind."

Bashō's Frog

The old pond —

A frog jumps in,

Sound of water.

(Not technically a koan, but used as one in many Zen training halls.)

Dōgen's "Dropping Off Body and Mind"

Dōgen traveled to China and studied under Nyōjō. During an early morning meditation, a monk next to Dōgen dozed off. Nyōjō shouted, "In Zen, body and mind are cast off! Why do you sleep?"

At this, Dōgen experienced a profound awakening. He went to Nyōjō's room and burned incense.

Nyōjō asked, "Why do you burn incense?"

Dōgen said, "Body and mind have been cast off."

Nyōjō said, "Body and mind have been cast off. Cast off have body and mind."

Tozan and the Gatekeeper

Tōzan came to study with Unmon. Unmon asked, "Where were you most recently?"

"At Sato."

"Where did you spend the summer?"

"At Hōji, in Hunan."

"When did you leave there?"

"August 25."

Unmon said, "I should give you sixty blows with my stick, but today I forgive you."

The next day Tōzan came to Unmon and asked, "Yesterday you forgave me sixty blows. I do not know my fault."

Unmon said, "You rice bag! Is that how you wander — now west of the river, now south of the lake?"

At this, Tōzan was deeply enlightened.

The Living and the Dead

Kankei asked a monk, "If the living one sits, the dead one falls. How do you deal with a dead corpse?"

Ummon's World

A monk asked Ummon, "What is the pure Dharmakāya?"

Ummon said, "The flower garden."

"What happens when one acts accordingly?"

"A golden-haired lion."

The Oak Tree

A student said to Jōshū, "I heard you once said, 'The oak tree in the garden.' Did you really say this?"

Jōshū said, "I never said that. Don't slander me!"

Seigen's Steps

Seigen said: "Before I studied Zen, mountains were mountains and rivers were rivers. When I studied Zen, mountains were no longer mountains and rivers were no longer rivers. But now that I have penetrated to the heart of Zen, mountains are again mountains and rivers are again rivers."

Nansen's Death Poem

When Nansen was about to die, a student asked, "Where will you go?"

Nansen said, "I'll become a water buffalo at the foot of the mountain."

"May I follow you?"

"If you follow me, bring a stalk of grass in your mouth."

Lin-chi's Shout

When Lin-chi (Rinzai) entered the hall, a monk asked a question. Lin-chi gave a great shout: "KATSU!"

The monk hesitated. Lin-chi said, "This great shout is not to be understood as an expression, nor is it not to be understood. What do you understand?"

The monk started to speak. Lin-chi hit him.

Huang-po's Goose in a Bottle

"If a man puts a gosling into a bottle and feeds it until it is fully grown, how can he get it out without killing the goose or breaking the bottle?"

After a moment, the master called the student's name. The student replied, "Yes?"

"There — it's out!"

These koans are gathered from the Mumonkan (Gateless Gate), the Hekiganroku (Blue Cliff Record), the Shōyōroku (Book of Equanimity), the Shaseki-shū (Collection of Stone and Sand), Zen Flesh, Zen Bones (Paul Reps & Nyogen Senzaki), and various traditional Rinzai and Sōtō sources.