koan
/ˈkoʊɑn/
noun
- A paradoxical question or statement used in Zen Buddhism to provoke meditation and break down logical thinking.
- He spent years trying to understand the meaning of that koan.
- Her teacher gave her a koan to meditate on during the retreat.
- The famous koan asks, 'What is the sound of one hand clapping?'
- A puzzling or seemingly unsolvable problem or riddle.
- The mystery of the missing painting felt like a modern koan.
- The budget crisis became a political koan that no one could solve.
- For the team, the question of how to increase sales without spending money was a real koan.