Koans are paradoxical statements intended to derail mental business-as-usual for the Zen Buddhist student on the journey to enlightenment. A book about koans at first glance seems itself paradoxical, ...

A koan, as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into ...

In his new book, Cosmological Koans: A Journey to the Heart of Physical Reality, physicist Anthony Aguirre explores deep questions about the nature of reality, using an approach inspired by Zen koans ...

LET’S start with the basics. Koans (pronounced co-ann or co-arn, depending on who you talk to) are paradoxical vignettes integral to the practice of Zen Buddhism. A grain of sand thrown into the ...

In the centuries since the death of its founder in 483 B.C., Buddhism has had little direct impact on the Christian West. Today, however, a Buddhist boomlet is under way in the U.S. Increasing numbers ...