Kong-ans are conundrums — little puzzle stories. Their one and only purpose is that they are an excellent way of putting the student, and very often the teacher too, into the space of don’t-know mind. The mind that stops.
What does it mean to reach for perfection: perfection of what or who? What does it mean to wake up? What does it mean to be free? These are some of the great questions of life. So, what is Zen about? Zen is the study of our minds. When we sit in silence, we look at the theater that appears in our minds. When we sit correctly, we perceive without judging what is appearing, or without wanting to stop the stream of thoughts.
It becomes so difficult to stop looking at ourselves and what we want. This is the biggest problem: want, desire… we want and desire all day long sometimes. Waking up means to stop. Stop and consider the situation in front of you: how can we help? What is my function in any situation? What is my relationship with what is happening?
