Koan/gongan

Koan/gongan: Buddhism religion, in Buddhism it is a paradoxical thought exercise used in Chan-Zen tradition to provoke a breakthrough in understanding by forcing students past the limitations of verbal formulations and logic. It can also be defined as a story or dialogue, question or statement which is used in Zen practice. An example of a Koan/gongan would be the question: Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand clapping? (Nancy)