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Koan Talks
A kōan ( KOH-a(h)n; Japanese: 公案; Chinese: 公案; pinyin: gōng'àn [kʊ́ŋ ân]; Korean: 화두; Vietnamese: công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement from Chinese Chan Buddhist lore, supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Chan, Zen, Seon and Thiền Buddhist practice in different ways. The main goal of kōan practice in Zen is to achieve kenshō (Chinese: jianxing 見性), to see or observe one's buddha-nature.
Extended study of kōan literature as well as meditation (zazen) on a kōan is a major feature of modern Rinzai Zen. They are also studied in the Sōtō school of Zen to a lesser extent. In Chinese Chan and Korean Seon Buddhism, meditating on a huatou, a key phrase of a kōan, is also a major Zen meditation method.
| Title | Speaker | |
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Awakening Through Huineng's Koan Practice, Koan, Zazen |
Sep 11 1989 Green Gulch Farm |
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Five-day Sesshin Koan, Suzuki Roshi, Buddha |
Aug 30 1989 Unknown |
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Beyond Duality: Unveiling the Original FaceSerial: SF-04067 Duplicate Practice, Zazen, Koan |
Aug 11 1989 Green Gulch Farm |
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Mind Refresher CakesSerial: BZ-00376A Sesshin Day 1 Koan, Deshan, Dragons, Lineage, Gratitude, Passions |
Jun 21 1989 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Everyday Koans: Zen in ActionSerial: RB-00669 Talk_The_Everyday_Koan Practice, Koan, Buddhism |
May 05 1989 Wien |
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June 12th, 1988, Serial No. 00299Serial: BZ-00299 Sunday Lecture Ordinary Mind, Doubt, Attachment, Koan, Daily Life, Intuition, Soto Zen, confusion,... |
Jun 12 1988 |
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Genjokoan ISerial: BZ-01501B Sesshin lecture Birth-and-Death, Sixth Patriarch, Koan, Attachment, Heart Sutra, Soto Zen, Observe,... |
Jun 03 1987 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Zen Mind, Peaceful Presence Bodhidharma, Koan, Tozan, Peace, Composure |
Sep 07 1986 |
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Blue Cliff Record: Case #3Serial: BZ-00409A Sun Face Buddha, Moon Face Buddha, Saturday Lecture Buddha, Koan, BCR-3, First Principle, Buddha Nature, Cultivation, Commitment, Greed,... |
Feb 02 1985 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Engaging Directly with Suffering Vow, Koan, Hate, Greed |
Apr 10 1984 |
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Awaken to Each Present Moment Practice Period, Non-discrimination, Thich Nhat Hanh, Koan |
Feb 01 1984 |
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Camaldolese HistorySerial: NC-00515 Camaldolese History Class. Conference #1 (Dec 7, 1983) & Conference #2 (Dec 14, 1983) OSB Cam, War, Study Period, Politics, Lineage, Koan |
Dec 07 1983 1 of 6 New Camaldoli Hermitage |
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The First Grave Precept: Not Killing Precepts, Peace, Koan |
Aug 04 1983 San Francisco Zen Center |
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Unveiling Christ in Sacred TextsSerial: NC-00398 Monastic Theology Series Set 1 of 3 Thoroughness, Patience, Realization, Pain, Koan |
Apr 14 1983 |
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Blue Cliff Record Case #43: How Can We Avoid Heat and Cold?Serial: BZ-00006B Saturday Lecture BCR-43 Koan, Suffering, Pain, Anger |
Mar 05 1983 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Importance of Attention to Form in Zen PracticeSerial: BZ-00049B Sesshin Day 2 Koan, Shikantaza, Practice |
Feb 20 1983 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Mumonkan: Case #35 -- Seijo's Soul Separated: Unifying Body, Mind and the WaySerial: BZ-00046B Saturday Lecture MM-35
Koan, Work, Practice, Study |
Jan 22 1983 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Blue Cliff Record, Case #35: Manjushri's "3's" and "3's"; NondiscriminationSerial: BZ-00034A Saturday Lecture BCR-35
Non-discrimination, Koan, Manjushri, Practice, Buddhism |
Jul 03 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Mumonkan Case #19: "Nansen's Everyday Mind is the Way"Serial: BZ-00036A Saturday Lecture MM-19
Nansen, Absolute-and-Relative, Koan, Practice, Ordinary Mind, Nansen |
Jun 26 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Blue Cliff Record, Case #17: “Sitting Long and Getting Tired”Serial: BZ-00029B Sesshin Day 5 BCR-17
Composure, Zazen, Koan, Samadhi, First Principle, Time |
May 23 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Effort, The Fourth Paramita (Virya): Blue Cliff Record: Case #44, "Beating the Drum"Serial: BZ-00009A Saturday Lecture
Virya, Koan, Practice, Buddha, Time |
Apr 24 1982 Berkeley Zen Center |
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Charismatic Leadership in Monastic LettersSerial: NC-00690 Monastic Spirituality Set 5 of 12 Instruction, Transmission, Letting Go, Demons, Koan |
Oct 21 1981 |
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Eternal Devotion: A Sacred ResponseSerial: NC-00697 Monastic Spirituality Set 4 of 12 Commitment, Mahayana, First Principle, Koan, Enlightenment |
Jun 11 1981 |
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Stability as Freedom's AnchorSerial: NC-00874 Monastic Spirituality Set 3 of 12 OSB Cam, Commitment, Vow, Ceremony, Koan |
Apr 24 1981 |
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Obedience and Redemption UnveiledSerial: NC-00795 Monastic Spirituality Set 2 of 12 OSB Cam, Koan, Transmission, Liberation, Hate |
Feb 18 1981 |
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Knowledge of God & Trinity Transmission, Emptiness, Buddhism, Lineage, Koan |
Feb 1981 4 of 14 |
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Beyond Duality in Zen Practice Time, Koan, Work |
Dec 02 1979 |
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Zen Actions: Embracing Imperfection and Insight Time, Japan, Koan |
Apr 06 1979 |
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Objectless Seeing in Everyday Life Buddhism, Time, Koan |
Apr 05 1979 |
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Echoes of Truth in Zen Practice Practice, Time, Koan |
Jul 16 1977 |
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Unconditioned Relationships in Zen Practice Practice, Koan, Time |
Dec 06 1971 |
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Sun-Faced Buddha, Moon-Faced BuddhaSerial: SR-00009 Sunday, March 9, 1969 Koan story of sun-faced buddha, moon-faced buddha. Practicing while well or while sick. Accepting what we don't like.... Baso, Koan, Blue Cliff Record, Attachment, Composure, Discrimination, difficulty,... |
Mar 09 1969 Sokoji |
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Bring Me The Rhinoceros FanSerial: SF-05086 ===== Awakening the Archive - Tape #21, by Shundo David Haye ===== For whatever reason, there are few talks existing from the summer of 1968. At... Koan, Faith, Freedom |
Jul 28 1968 Tassajara |
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Because I Was Not WellSerial: SF-05143A SR023 Track 1 Suzuki Roshi's afternoon sesshin 4-23-68 copied [there are also photographs of hand-written notes on missing portions of Q&A - per tape operator's... Sesshin, Koan, Ordinary Mind, Everyday Mind, Faith, Composure, Doubt, Religion... |
Apr 23 1968 A Tassajara |
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On Chanting, Sokei-AnSerial: SF-01131B Tape 4 copy 1 Time, Dharmakaya, Koan |
Mar 01 1966 Kyoto |
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On Chanting, Sokei-AnSerial: SF-01135 Tape 4 copy 2 - duplicate Time, Chanting, Koan |
Mar 01 1966 Kyoto |
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On Nanzenshi, Nanshin-KenSerial: SF-01136 Tape 1 copy 1 Time, Koan |
Feb 22 1966 Kyoto |
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Weaving Realities Through Zen Absorption Practice, Stillness, Koan |
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Embracing Presence Through Zen Perception Samadhi, Time, Koan |
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Divine Being Beyond WordsSerial: NC-00212B Archival Photo Buddha, Koan, Buddhism, Lotus Sutra |
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Eliot's Timeless Dance of ParadoxSerial: NC-00834 1980s OSB Cam, War, Koan, Emotions, Emptiness |
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Living the Koan Experience Delusion, Practice, Koan |
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Zen Entanglement: Beyond Observable Reality Koan, Buddhism, Time |
Dec 07 |
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The Brief Rule of St. RomualdSerial: NC-00051 The Little Rule of Saint Romuald Archival Photo OSB Cam, St. Romuald, Brief Rule of St. Romuald, Instruction, Money, Koan,... |
1 of 4 New Camaldoli Hermitage |