Welcome to another series of blogs, topic: koans!
As I share what I've learned about koans and my experience with them, things might get too obtuse, confusing, or far out. It’s likely helpful then to note that working with these koans helps one to live with more peace, ease, confidence, and compassion. At the very least, having a touchpoint each day, hour, moment is a great mindfulness practice. An excellent way to navigate the inevitable trials of these lives and times! Koans came about when Buddhism was carried out of India and met
Taoism in China. The resulting sect of Buddhism became known as Chan and when that found its way to Japan, it became known as Zen. Koans are awakening stories of various lengths and from a wide variety of people both monastic and lay-folk, but most commonly between students and a master.
Spiritus
A few things came up, and surprisingly, the one that fit was breath. It was so interesting and exciting to explore how the breath might get through a solid wall of aversion. Picture the big bad wolf who could blow walls down with his breath. Mind you, brick stopped him from blowing down the third house of three little pigs. The unconscious is notoriously illogical with its imagery (cue any recent dream). Our collective unconscious is rich in symbolism involving wolves and breath. Anyway, say the instructions, trust what the depth sends up.