Koans and lateral thinking

Koans are riddles used in Zen philosophy. They are presented as a way for a person to see reality from a point of view other than the conventional one.. That riddle implies a problem in which the answer leads the question, instead of doing the opposite.

Koans promote lateral thinking. This is a mode of thinking in which creativity and intuition predominate, rather than analysis and formal logic. Therefore, many times a Koan can seem absurd, illogical or irrational. Its meaning is to take reason to another terrain.

In the Koans there are several implicit meanings and that is why they cannot be taken literally.. The same question in which the problem is posed must be subjected to reflection, since it often contains a hidden meaning only visible in the light of intuition.

lateral thinking

The brain executes two types of thinking: logical and creative.. Lateral thinking corresponds to the latter and through it ideas are generated, problems are solved and situations are approached in an innovative way. It is characterized by its independence from preconceptions and patterns.

The concept of lateral thinking is due to psychologist Edward de Bono. He coined this term in his work The use of lateral thinkingin 1967. In his work, he makes a distinction between lateral thinking and vertical thinking:

Lateral thinking. It is divergent and the right hemisphere influences it. It starts from analogies and does not follow a linear sequence.Vertical thinking. It is linear and the left hemisphere influences it. Work based on schemes or patterns.

One of the techniques used by lateral thinking is to generate random associations.. Koans basically apply this logic. Likewise, they resort to analogy, which is at the essence of this type of thinking.

The koans

Koans resemble what are known as aporias, that is, reasoning that includes paradoxes or contradictions that seem unsolvable. The usual thing, in the Zen field, is that the teacher shares them with his disciples as another part of learning.

There are several famous koans. One of the best known is by the master Hakuin Ekaki and says: “This is the sound of two hands, what is the sound of one hand?” Another very widespread one is the one that states: “When a tree falls in a forest, does it make a noise if there is no one to hear it?” This one is also very well known:

“–Teacher, help me find the truth.

–Do you perceive the fragrance of the flowers?

-Yeah.

–Then I have nothing to teach you.”

The value of koans

The koans promote lateral thinking, their way of understanding the optimal functioning of the brain is a invitation to break with prejudices. They think that rationality strips reality of its complexity. In this duality cannot exist at the same time: either it is or it is not. These riddles try to show the opposite: it is and it is not simultaneously.

Although it is a teaching path, Its objective is not to transmit specific content, but to train the ability to think about the world in a different way., undo preconceptions. The following example illustrates this very clearly:

“The teacher asked a monk what a stone was.

One of the monks answered:

– From the point of view of Buddhism, everything is a mental representation; so I would say it’s inside my mind.

– Your head must feel very heavy if you go around carrying a stone like that on your mind!

In Zen philosophy, the purpose is not to accumulate knowledge or knowledge, but to “awaken”. This means being able to contemplate the world in all its complexity and discover that thought is not a solid block, but a cycle full of cracks.

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