koan

2 definitions found

koan - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  koan
      n 1: a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution;
           used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical
           reasoning

koan - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  koan
   /koh'an/, n.
  
     A Zen teaching riddle. Classically, koans are attractive paradoxes to
     be meditated on; their purpose is to help one to enlightenment by
     temporarily jamming normal cognitive processing so that something
  more
     interesting can happen (this practice is associated with Rinzai Zen
     Buddhism). Defined here because hackers are very fond of the koan
  form
     and compose their own koans for humorous and/or enlightening effect.
     See Some AI Koans, has the X nature, hacker humor.