Kong-an

Working with a kong-an can make the world more transparent and alive and at the same time shift your consciousness in small and large ways. It’s a work of art as well as a spiritual method and intended to be useful in your life and contribute to your happiness.

The function of a kong-an is to spark a question, to give rise to that which in the Zen tradition has been called the Great Question. When the mind “questions,” it awakens and opens. This moment of questioning, however fleeting it is, is a manifestation of a pure and unconditioned mind. In this moment all filters of preconception and prejudgment are taken away and only pure questioning remains.

Kong-an work in a formal sense has its origins early in the Tang dynasty when sayings of former and current masters were circulated and used in meditation. In the Song dynasty these stories were collected into anthologies which formed the basis of a curriculum. The tradition crossed to Japan and Korea.

In kong-an practice, the teacher asks questions and the student answers them. People sometimes say that the purpose of kong-an practice is for the teacher to check the student’s mind, but that’s not the point. The purpose of kong-an practice is to help us cut through our thinking. It is an essential part of our practice.

Some schools recommend using the kong-an as a focus of meditation. This is not our style. The kong-an will often come up naturally in practice; and even more often it won’t. Don’t worry about this. If you practice sincerely, the interview room will take care of itself.

There is a form to use in the interview room, involving bows and prostrations. The teacher will help you through it your first time, and as many times as you need afterward.