Koans

Koans are riddles, questions, or statements that originated at around the time of the 5th-6th century in Zen Buddhism. They have been used by teachers to help students come into the awakened state. Some students concentrate on koans during meditation. In meditation koans are often accompanied with the ZaZen sitting meditation. Just reading Koans can be very confusing, and for a true koan meditation, the koan should be delivered from a master. To get a zen master one must participate in a dokusan interview.

Here is an example of a zen koan:

This Mind is Buddha

Daibai asked Baso: `What is Buddha?'

Baso said: `This mind is Buddha.'

Mumon's Comment: If anyone wholly understands this, he is wearing Buddha's clothing, he is eating Buddha's food, he is speaking Buddha's words, he is behaving as Buddha, he is Buddha.

This anecdote, however, has given many pupil the sickness of formality. If one truly understands, he will wash out his mouth for three days after saying the word Buddha, and he will close his ears and flee after hearing `This mind is Buddha.'

Under blue sky, in bright sunlight,
One need not search around.
Asking what Buddha is
Is like hiding loot in one's pocket and declaring oneself innocent.

this and more at http://www.ibiblio.org/zen/cgi-bin/koan-index.pl

As well as here is a poem from Tukaram translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Cracking Koans

No one was cracking the koans
He had tatooed
everywhere

So God changed His tactics--He developed a sweet tooth
and started chatting
about love.

He knew that really would not work and sure enough things got
worse--for a fine rebellious bunch we are.

This time people started stockpiling nukes,
and lawsuits plagued the land, and smog put a full nelson
on our lungs,

and T.V. hijacked brains, which caused millions to
vote Republican--
WOW!--

and all because we couldn't
bust a couple
koans.