koan

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“
It is an interesting koan, as Charles puts it, to ponder what might have been had I titled the book differently.

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Definitions (2)

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  1. noun A puzzling, often paradoxical statement or story, used in Zen Buddhism as an aid to meditation and a means of gaining spiritual awakening.

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Examples (41)

  • Ah, he has us with that koan, which is sort of like the sound of one hand cuffing.
  • At least, that's one of the few responses to the koan which makes any sense to me though some would tell you, I must admit, that in a koan, sense is the wrong thing to be looking for. —  Diane Duane - Star Trek : The Next Generation - Dark Mirror
  • Another koan or two, and then I would be free to deal with this miscreant on my own. —  F ;SF; - vol 093 issue 06 - December 1997
  • On her last visit he gave her a koan or spiritual problem to work on. —  FSFMagazine,August2007
  • Like a monk with a Zen koan, progressives should roll around in their minds how a lifelong foul ball like Bush was ever nominated in the first place for the world's most important job and how he got reelected when all of today's disasters were easily visible. —  David Seaton's News Links
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Etymologies (1)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Japanese kōan : kō, public (from Middle Chinese kəwŋ) + an, matter.
 

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