Secular Buddhism 213 - No Water, No Moon
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Oct 22, 2025 Dive into the fascinating world of Zen koans, where uncertainty becomes an opportunity for growth. Explore why our need for answers can lead to discomfort and how embracing the unknown enhances our understanding. Discover the story of Chiyono and her broken pail, illustrating the liberation found in confusion. The discussion unpacks how koans disrupt conventional thinking and prepare us for life's challenges. Learn to appreciate moments of uncertainty and the wisdom they can reveal.
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Addiction To Certainty
- Humans are addicted to certainty and rush toward answers to escape the discomfort of not knowing.
- Koans train us to sit with uncertainty instead of collapsing it into premature explanations.
Koans Break The Thinking Mind
- Koans are not intellectual puzzles but tools that jam up the thinking mind to allow a different knowing.
- They create cognitive dissonance so insight can emerge beyond rational analysis.
Chiyono And The Broken Pail
- Noah recounts the story of nun Chiyono whose pail broke and the moon's reflection disappeared.
- Her cry, "No more water in the pail, no more moon in the water," marks her liberation.