Introduction To Working With Zen Koans

There are a lot of misconceptions about what Zen koans are - they aren't clever riddles, and they aren't designed just to frustrate. In this five-session course, I describe what they are, how they work, provide examples, and I give hints for how to work with them. Specifically, Class 1 gives analogies and examples to demonstrate the basic way they try to help us to see past our conceptual limitations. Class 2 gives two koans and possible answers, along with hints about how they show you the workings of your mind. Class 3 gives two koan questions that you can use in your daily activities to help be clearer and to get through difficult situations. Class 4 gives eight tips for how to work with and penetrate koans. Class 5 presents eight koans and gives hints about how to understand them. After taking this class, you should have a good understanding of what koans are trying to do and their value in training and clarifying the mind, as well as having several strategies and tips for how to work with them effectively.