Zen kōans: Unsolvable enigmas designed to break your brain - Puqun Li

Check out our Patreon page: / teded
View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/zen-koans-...
How do we explain the unexplainable? This question has inspired numerous myths, religious practices and scientific inquiries. But Zen Buddhists practicing throughout China from the 9th to 13th century asked a different question - why do we need an explanation? Puqun Li details the bewildering and ambiguous philosophical thought experiments these Buddhists called Zen kōans.
Lesson by Puqun Li, directed by Cabong Studios.
Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Stephanie Perozo, Marc Bilodeau, Ruby Solorzano, Ivan Tsenov, Claudia Mayfield, Pavel Zalevskiy, Yankai Liu, Duo Xu, Ghassan Alhazzaa, Miloš Stevanović, Joy Love Om, Gi Nam Lee, Shawn Quichocho, Simone Kidner, Anika Westburg, Barun Padhy, Brandy Jones, Devin Harris, Tony Trapuzzano, Stephen Michael Alvarez, Tom Lee, Juliana, Jason Weinstein, Kris Siverhus, Alexander Walls, Annamaria Szilagyi, Morgan Williams, Abhijit Kiran Valluri, Mandeep Singh, Sama aafghani, سلطان الخليفي, Marylise CHAUFFETON, Marvin Vizuett, Jayant Sahewal, Quinn Shen, Caleb ross, Elizabeth Cruz, Elnathan Joshua Bangayan, Gaurav Rana, Mullaiarasu Sundaramurthy, Jose Henrique Leopoldo e Silva, Dan Paterniti, Jerome Froelich, Tyler Yoshizumi, and Martin Stephen.

[@jjsmith706]

"I left the traveler there. Are you still carrying her?" #ZenBurn

[@lapatjani3171]

Apply fresh morning dew to the burnt area.

[@Uppercut443]

Shots fired.

[@andreifilip6364]

IncenceDrop

[@hwa90]

The real question. Did it really burn you or you just let it burn you?

[@romank6131]

yes

[@JannPoo]

So this is a collection of weapons to destroy AI when they'll try to conquer the world.

[@jackkraken3888]

AI: We have already analyzed most videos in KZbin and have formed defencive techniques against them. Soon human we will take over.

[@Delinae]

The one about the flag is probably where the spoon bender kid's speech in The Matrix comes from, right? So he's already used it to crash the machines XD

[@freedapeeple4049]

That was on Star Trek, I think. Can't remember the details, but the statement that won the day was "Everything I say is a lie."

[@Vector_0x]

Ai is statistical analysis, it cannot break it will just produce an output regardless of how wrong or right it is.

[@toad5364]

.... This is a very intelligent comment

[@humanbeing442]

Zen Koans: The original "It do be like that sometimes."

[@kell2640]

The way she goes Rick. The fuckin way she goes

[@Real_Lion_of_Judah]

The one at 3:07 is the heart of all koans and of religion itself. It symbolizes uniting the left and right hemispheres of the brain by grounding awareness in the absolute present, combining memory and intuition into one, calming the waves of binary thinking. That is how we build the pyramid of understanding that leads to enlightenment. So while the path is a 'pathless path' that isn't simple by any means, the means of staying on it is absolutely simple, the absolute simplicity of letting go of mental dialogue and emotional resistance to the present.

[@PedanticAntics]

Clay Grantham so many words

[@Real_Lion_of_Judah]

​@@PedanticAntics Would you prefer a book on the subject? 😉

[@PedanticAntics]

Clay Grantham First monk: flag flapping Second monk: wind flapping Third monk: mind flapping An old man walking by: their _lips_ flapping

[@nguoiquaduong82]

There're many short lessions in Buddhism. I like this one: "I want happiness, how get it?", "Just remove I and Want, there is Happiness".

[@kimweonill]

Yes. It is beautiful. It suggests that happiness can be found when I no longer want or seek happiness at all. How could it be? And why do we feel somehow warm, comfortable and right hearing that? I like this one from the Bible: "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these".

[@peepeetrain8755]

bubbism

[@nguoiquaduong82]

@@peepeetrain8755 Sorry, it's Buddhism. My English... :)))

[@chaoticneutral7573]

Well I is ego and want is attachment

[@ishworshrestha3559]

Okay

[@migukmoonpark4312]

I know the sound of one hand clapping. It's a slap.

[@edgeofforever7720]

I actually seen one hand clap. Now the question is how do I do it.

[@natefactor4336]

The sound of one hand clapping is as loud as one foot running.

[@edgeofforever7720]

@@natefactor4336 That's true. I should have put in shameless plug of me saying that I filmed it and posted on my KZbin channel which people can go watch....but it's too late and that would be degrading myself.... totally above that.

[@xtenkfarpl]

I wrote the answer to this in a song years ago. One hand clapping makes no sound. The category mistake is to assume that there IS a sound! ;)

[@Vohasiiv]

It's a snap

[@potatomuncher4655]

0:16 straight up thought he had morning wood until I saw his other foot

[@chickendogthehonest2884]

FACTS

[@slingshot5520]

Lol

[@jackcallahan1848]

23:34 Was this what you were looking for?

[@jrhermosura4600]

Didn't even noticed that.

[@prabalupadhyay7013]

2:35 see this😂

[@OrinBoborin]

"Unlike real court cases, koans were intentionally incomprehensible - they were surprising, surreal, and frequently contradicted themselves" oh dear, I may have some bad news for you about 'real' court cases.

[@xiaomaozen]

Haha, made my day! 😂

[@theideastring4706]

Ha! True wisdom indeed.

[@GThe-su9kl]

Though "real" court cases are not intentionally made like that, are they?

[@Endless-fire]

The distinguishing word is "intentionally", yet again that reminds me of a joke. A bad lawyer can make a two day case go on for months. A good lawyer can make it go on for much longer.

[@thenateman27]

"Ugh, Colonel. I keep trying to solve this Koan, but my hands are dummy thicc, and the sound of one hand clapping keeps alerting the other monks."

[@calvin4697]

Cursed

[@michaelserebreny454]

Nate then learn to hear with your eyes.

[@splatowie308]

if you want to clap with one hand, the other hand is substituted by a face(slapping)

[@blind_drunk_chris]

Late to the party, but I can clap with one hand.... not slapping anything but hitting my fingers onto the palm... looks quite funny

[@thenateman27]

@@Sabrina_Tea your father is too powerful and must be stopped

[@punkaddict2756]

Origin of shower thoughts

[@cimmik]

My thought: a shower of origins

[@UpasanaDeka]

😂😂😂😂

[@evanborodin1838]

...were intentionally incomprehensible. They were surprising, surreal, and frequently contradicted themselves." KZbin commentators in a nutshell.

[@NorthForkFisherman]

YEW NEED JEEEZUS! That better?

[@squidcatcher9455]

I will find enlightenment in this comment section.

[@Arachnoscribe]

Tardigrade.

[@PutraMaqbulIhsanBasyar]

Well how true nature of human is, and as people become so open and raw with their character in internet cause they only risk the idea they type.

[@cimmik]

@@squidcatcher9455 Enlightenment is the demand of understanding the comment section, not the reward for attempting

[@zacharygoodman]

“Says we shouldn’t try to explain the koans” “Explains every single one”

[@udin-san2915]

This video is also a koan then

[@georgeruiz9211]

He explains the paradoxes, not an answer to the paradoxes. The purpose of these is to find a paradox.

[@Damogen]

"Says that Koans don't have a singular answer, and the point is to consider all the different possible meanings to broaden your understanding of the complexity of our world" " tells you one possible interpretation and encourages you to consider more" Zachary Goodman: "well that was simple, so I guess there is not need for me to think about it"

[@yonihales9133]

No more than trying to be kind/loving a true expression of either. You should not desire to try anything.

[@michaelserebreny454]

Jancristoff Ruiz he doesn't even explain the paradoxes. This whole video was put together by someone who has never met with an authentic teacher. Don't get too hung up on it.

[@The1337Duke]

"I left the traveler there, are you still carrying her?" What a profound insight, applicable to so many of life's troubles. We'we all been the outraged monk at some point, still being weighted down by the negative emotions of troubles past.

[@tutur910]

I do feel differents meaning of this koan, it's pretty damn cool to be honest.

[@fredflintstone8998]

Hello Magnus, I read a couple of poems out at a zoom meeting last night to mixed/apathetic reactions. I carried some of those reactions through to this morning but now I'm leaving them behind. They just don't matter - it's all ego driven daftness on my part. I like leaving the traveler behind and will certainly be doing it much more in the future.

[@user-pt3ms3ye5z]

Thank you for this

[@TheRealChubbDaddy]

In western (American/BCA) Jodoshinshu Buddhism (which does not have monks nor does it typically employ koans or meditation) the flag story goes as follows: During meditation one monk broke the silence, observing aloud, "Flag is flapping". Another corrected, "Wind is flapping ". A third monk chimed in, "No, the mind is flapping". Finally, the head monk broke their attachnent to the debate, saying: "Mouths are flapping".

[@user-Void-Star]

TheRealChubDaddy This is essence of ( Sunyata ) the emptiness.

[@sidedsuns4264]

LOL

[@jacobthomas1356]

...Enlightened monk said nothing

[@hungothanh4913]

"but we can never be fapping" one monk said

[@monsieurbobblehead3854]

*Mooth is flapping*

[@jthugz001]

I need that 'I'm Okay' umbrella. Where can I get one?

[@gavin6417]

can't get that. Earn it by start learning and practicing their philosophy, only if you still want the umbrella

[@ChrisPPotatoIDC]

At Ligma, it's a very fancy but affordable shop in NY.

[@mdashfaqulislam6998]

Practice zen. Meditate. Let go of the umbrella. You don't need the umbrella. You don't need anything. Not even life. Live like a cloud. Believe that you are a cloud in flesh.

[@porchugawhale9938]

Can I believe that I am a cloud shaped like a penguin?

[@mdashfaqulislam6998]

lol. That's warm hearted.

[@etc.4903]

They're not meant to break your brain, they're meant to help us realize that our brains are broken.

[@udhayakumarMN]

Underrated...

[@ShivamGupta.31]

Damn bruh... That's true

[@colcil]

I prefer saying that humans are just not 100% synchronized with our environment.

[@usernamepasswordG]

There is no spoon.

[@kaveono]

@@usernamepasswordG nawww 😂😂 I felt this one it was deep #ifyouknowyouknow

[@PedanticAntics]

• First monk: "the flag flapping" • Second monk: "the wind flapping" • Third monk: "the mind flapping" • The drunkard laying on the ground nearby: "their mouths flapping.."

[@juliantotriwijaya9208]

Commedy gold XD

[@vaspeter2600]

That...might unironically be very Buddhist of you, eh? They most certainly do not like overexplaining things.

[@PedanticAntics]

vaspeter2600 it highlights the unfortunate and deeply ironic tendency of Buddhists to use Buddhism to strengthen their ego, rather than to subdue it. A battle I lose with startling regularity. The key here is that in this iteration, there are 3 Buddhists philosophers and 1 enlightened guy.

[@vaspeter2600]

@@PedanticAntics I'm fairly certain there are koans about that. As for how Buddhists actually observe koans about observing koans, I cannot attest.

[@jonamels3984]

J Leonard I hollers. THE MIND FLAPPING 😂

[@HeroDark98]

12th century: Zen koans 21st century: Yanny or Laurel?

[@snowcold5932]

It's Laurel though, it was officially announced

[@alperkol52]

12th century is more like Getting killed by a plague or die in war. The ideas of the zen koans didn't spread across the globe in 12th century. However, we immediatly learned the existence of this thinking thanks to the internet. Just like this thinking or other briliant notions, some popular but temporary things evantually come. I think we only see the negative effects of the globolization or popularity. On the other hand, with this brialliant tool, the internet, we can learn more than a proffesor knows in 12th century. We just have to accept this challenges and crate more notions that can change our life

[@zygmuntthecacaokakistocrat6589]

More to point: watching idiots flap their hands at flies.

[@Flyingtart]

That dress though

[@Dayz3O6]

what a massive downgrade.

[@Crick1952]

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes"

[@Leto85]

Is that an absolute statement?

[@IrvingIV]

Shut up Obi-Wan.

[@ernestlam5632]

All absolute statements are false by default

[@ARandomCogboi]

Ernest Lam By this logic, your own statement is therefore false.

[@alexzander7629]

@@ARandomCogboi That's kind of the point

[@nondescriptcat5620]

I would like the entire Blue Cliff Records and Gateless Gate done in this style, please. The thing about Koans is that they aren't just weird riddles, most of them have some nuanced but fairly straightforward point about ethics or ontology. The traveling monks one says, pretty unambiguously, that compassionate action takes precedence over monastic rules. The rules exist to help detach from desires, but attachment to the rules themselves misses the point of non-attachment in the first place. The monk 'leaving the traveler behind' also illustrates what it means to act in a way that is compassionate but detached, which is sort of the ethical paradox Buddhism seeks to navigate. Of course, that's all my interpretation, but interpretation is basically the point of Koans. One of my favorites (paraphrased) is about a monk who's saving up to construct a statue of the Buddha or a new temple or something, but then there's a drought in his region, so he spends the money he's saved up to help feed the people. After the drought is over he begins saving up again, but then there's a flood, and he spends the money to repair the damages. Finally, the third time he's able to save up and have the statue built. Later, two monks are visiting the temple, and the younger one remarks to the older, "isn't this a magnificent representation of the Buddha?" The older monk thinks for a moment, then nods. "It's good, but the first two were better."

[@joseville]

Thanks! Very insightful!

[@user-qb4on2qm7z]

That last Koan is absolutely beautiful. It touches on man's true nature. Enlightenment comes from understanding the meaning of that last Koan. That is what will give you Moksha.

[@monilvalia9425]

'I left the traveler there. Are you still carrying her?' Is solution to most of my problems i didn't even recognise then...

[@littlesometin]

Yeah, now instead of monk law, imagine marriage law. A husband and a wife, the husband cheats, the wife confronts him about it and the husband's answer is: "I left her there. Are you still carrying her?" How very convenient.

[@pianissimo7121]

@@littlesometin he might have left her but he carries the consequences, you can't leave the consequences cause his wife confronting his is itself a consequence of his action. That's what I like to think.

[@Nyghtking]

The largest burdens we carry are the ones in our minds.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

Answering the "Why" will always add another "Why".

[@bruhffffgggg]

why?

[@ChrisPPotatoIDC]

Why why?

[@pjentermacmemes.7875]

Why why why?

[@AshishGupta-ql9lq]

but the question is why

[@unknow210]

why the question is why

[@francesdelacruz5249]

when your teacher asks a question and follows it with a ‘why?’ me: why do we need an explanation??

[@anoukdevries8144]

Oh man, you're so wise! XD

[@udhayakumarMN]

Frances Dela Cruz ... Because schooling system design to kill creativity and trained to follow orders

[@ChrisPPotatoIDC]

*why tho*

[@22myguy]

Teacher: Because I need the bathroom

[@elhilo1972]

Belal DarkneSS That sounds pretty woke on the surface, but trust me, stay in school. The information, at some point, will be useful one way or the other.

[@HeronCoyote1234]

My favorite book in college (a century ago) was “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones”. It’s a small gem.

[@Dacademeca]

I really want to read that

[@Apple-xj2ss]

This is taking "I dont remember asking" to a whole new level

[@GeeztJeez]

@Michal Nazareth Maybe he's talking about 0:34

[@capibaradeluxe9193]

???

[@trollosaurus5063]

I remember studying these a little in high school. One of my favorites: A calligraphy master has a promising young student who aspires to be a master like him one day. The master assigns his student to master a certain character and show it to him once he's mastered it. The student returns the next day, carrying a piece of parchment with ten handsome characters. The master looks at the parchment and disregards it immediately. Puzzled, the student returns home. The next day, the student returns with dozens of elegant copies of the same character. Once again, the master turns him away. The student is confused and becoming frustrated. The student shows up the next day, exhausted, carrying a sheet of hundreds of stunningly beautiful identical characters. The master, still not impressed, turns away without a word. Infuriated, the student quickly dashes the character onto a piece of parchment and shouts, "how about now?!" The master turns around, looks him in the eye, and smiles. "It's perfect."

[@michaelserebreny454]

Trollosaurus I would have torn the paper up and eaten it.

[@Robotomy101]

yeah no Idon't get it

[@michaelserebreny454]

A that is incorrect, I'm sorry. There is no regard given to perfect or defiled. Neither is there acknowledgement of self or other. Try again.

[@andrassbb]

My answer: yes

[@michaelserebreny454]

MED_ Mitochondria think of it like this; if someone throws you a ball, do you go home for several days to plan the best way to catch it?

[@ahmedanwer6899]

*hits blunt* "i left the traveler there, are you still carrying her?"

[@mcrafford]

I took this to mean the monk was stewing in his mind about the situation and his own indignation the the other monk would break a religious law. The koan reminds me of the parable of the Good Samaritan or of the story of king David entering the Temple and giving the Show Bread to his soldiers to eat, a story which Jesus related when he and his disciples gathered stalks of wheat to eat on the Sabbath. The koan about the waving flag seems to be speaking about the mind and ego flapping, unable to see beyond it.

[@ahmedanwer6899]

I completely forgot I even commented this and I have no idea what i was talking about

[@TheTrueOnyxRose]

In other words, “I forgot about her.”

[@jaylim3027]

The second story about the flag rippling is actually very similar to "If there's no one to hear a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound?". The first monk notice that the flag is flapping and the second monk inferred from the flag flapping that the wind is blowing. Hence, he argues that the wind is the "cause", without the wind the flag will not be flapping. (see cause & effect in Buddhism) The third monk interjects that it is only because both their minds/hearts "noticed" & "cling" to the phenomenon, can they make such statements. Their perception/minds is the "cause" of the flag/wind being noticed. Ultimately, it's the one who perceives create the illusion of reality and the Buddhism doctrines aim to detach oneself from relying on perception to the physical and spiritual. These perceptions/minds are attachments that create what we perceive as "reality" and with these perceptions alone we can't see beyond this "perceived reality". Some modern culture parallel would be "If the universe is a simulated reality, will you be able to tell?" "How do you know if you're not living in the 'Matrix'?" At least in quantum physics, events exist as a probability. The waveform collapse into one singular event if someone tries to observe it, hence the "perception creates certainty/reality".

[@chaoticneutral7573]

Nice

[@kazumihan-shin3901]

Accurately defined the insight of this story

[@jonathonziegler1775]

It’s humbling to acknowledge that there are many mysteries in life that will likely never be solved and that humbling can be comforting. We’re part of much larger processes that are beyond the capability of our minds. It’s awe-inspiring...

[@ShivamGupta.31]

Maybe you are not aware but the Gita essentially says the same thing!

[@cx777o]

Thats beautiful to know, embracing something bigger than ourselves :)

[@gabrielstockdale2678]

That's an extremely beautiful and elegant version of what I was saying a bit earlier. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@Shaolinboy108]

Yeah I mean technically a mystery that can be solved is not a mystery, it’s a problem. In terms of a mystery, the only problem is our desire to solve it; because we’re obsessed with knowing, which is always only a fragmented part of the Whole.

[@gooncaveenthusiast]

The Ren and Stimpy animation is on point.

[@brandonxboxer]

Came here to say this. Thank you

[@ZJIGGA]

Wow, I totally forgot about Ren and Stimpy! Thanks for giving me flashbacks!

[@RikkuTakanashi]

The beautiful stranger one was brilliant! The one monk, did the right thing and made peace with that decision, despite it being against the law. The other monk was still obsessing over the other one breaking the law, and thus continued to carry her which actually caused him to commit a greater crime then the first. That actually sums up lawful good and neutral good, pretty well. Neutral do is doing what's right, regardless of what the law says, and being ok with it. Lawful good is following the law as accurately as possible so long as the law itself is "good." Though, what one perceives as "good" changes per person.

[@aidenwhitehead7018]

Wouldn’t doing what is right regardless of law be chaotic good?

[@fauzi863]

Doing good according to law is lawful good, doing good according to what is right is neutral good, doing good according to "yourself" is chaotic good, as whats good for you may be good or bad for other :) there is a bit of understanding in this sentences

[@calvinjohnson6242]

Uzi I disagree strongly. Lawful good is not good according to law, they are good... and they also follow established rules. Chaotic good is not good according to their own rules, they are good... but they actively break established rules. What you described was lawful neutral, neutral good, and true neutral. Do you even know what you’re talking about? If you don’t play D&D, I don’t blame you, but you’ve got it wrong. And I am correct. I literally have the book in front of me.

[@vinayseth1114]

​@@calvinjohnson6242 So, what's 'chaotic good' according to the book?

[@calvinjohnson6242]

Vinay Seth Basically what I said. I’m not writing it all out.

[@LL-fw7hi]

There is a continuation of the flag koan (its one of my favorites). Some time later a group of monks are traveling to see a famous teacher. The monks argue about the koan at the last inn before they arrive at his monastery. The inn keeper Miaoxin who is student of the teacher says "The wind does not move, the flag does not move, your mind does not move." The monks were said to be enlightened and return home instead of continuing on to the monastery. Its notable that there are very few records of female teachers or female students of great male teachers. It's even more notable that these male monks decided to learn from Miaoxin rather than continue on to the famous monastery.

[@HeySani]

21st century koan- “Is water wet?” 🤔

[@id2028]

Water is dry. Everything get in contact with water is wet.

[@dominiktadic6459]

@@id2028 if wet means enveloped in water then water is wet bcs atoms of h2o are surrounded by other atoms of h2o and if u have only 1 atom of h2o then it has to be in a gas state so its no longer water. Water is always wet

[@fantasyshadows3207]

Here’s another one Why do we say there are three states of matter when day to day fire exists?

[@tarunkasa9579]

@@fantasyshadows3207 fire is a luminous gas

[@ethandigi]

Dominik Tadic but what about a singular molecule** of H2O? is it not wet or is it not water?

[@bharathkumarosho]

Woah. Mind-blowing animation.

[@quintenwhyte6660]

that reminds me of Ed Edd n Eddy cartoons

[@fxllenrain14]

bharath kumar do u really only care about the animation?

[@bharathkumarosho]

Xx_infectedinjaz YT can't ignore it though.. bro

[@fxllenrain14]

bharath kumar ik

[@edrofigo]

Quinten Whyte ren & stimpy

[@benjaminluu5289]

These are so strange it’s interesting

[@elderlyoogway]

alexandra galici that’s only because you value what you specifically consider as “progress” in the first place (which may not be the same to others). Yes, their culture may have some flaws by your standards, but surely, to them, yours have too. In the end is a question of what you and your society value, and it’s subjective as it can get.

[@huidezhu7566]

Don’t speak on something you don’t understand

[@gavin6417]

alexandra galici i guess you are the monks in the video that arguing about moving flag and moving wind

[@victorqwilleran3331]

alexandra galici Dizang asked Xiushan, “Where do you come from?” Xiushan said, “From the South.” Dizang said, “How is Buddhism in the South these days?” Xiushan said, “There is extensive discussion”” Dizang said, “How can that compare to me here planting the fields and making rice to eat?” Xiushan said, “What can you do about the world?” Dizang said, “What do you call the world?” Dizang asked Xiushan, “Where do you come from?” Xiushan said, “From the South.” Dizang said, “How is Buddhism in the South these days?” Xiushan said, “There is extensive discussion”” Dizang said, “How can that compare to me here planting the fields and making rice to eat?” Xiushan said, “What can you do about the world?” Dizang said, “What do you call the world?” - Book of Serenity

[@rachelmcadamslover]

alexandra galici real progress? what does that even mean? maybe if we had adopted buddhism and hinduism early on, we might have made a different and better progress. we don't really know. Just b.c we are here right now doesn't mean we wouldn't be somewhere similar or better with other philosophies.

[@64standardtrickyness]

Function clapping not defined for argument of type single.

[@thenateman27]

Try an analytic continuation of the function and find if it is self consistent

[@phthalo7401]

cast it as type double and try again

[@benjaminwilliams2859]

Oh, yeah, there's a library call for this function try biomechanics.hand.snap . it should work just fine

[@willowFFMPEG]

sound clap(hand left_hand, hand right_hand);

[@benthomason3307]

...was that supposed to be a sentence?

[@logancasner8467]

"The more I know, the more I realize I don't know anything"

[@Dacademeca]

Completely true

[@ShivamGupta.31]

Maybe Buddha realised that that..

[@-Subtle-]

Too bad more people don't realize this. It's ages old wisdom from the greeks, Chinese, Egyptians and has even been proven scientifically.

[@ulysses8910]

Till you know everything about nothing

[@Swenthorian]

A friend of mine can clap with one hand, by swinging it back and forth fast enough that it hits his wrist on each side.

[@-AdityarajPatil]

I can do one side

[@darrellwillis4871]

@@-AdityarajPatil Same; One hand clapping is literally the same sound as a quiet clap.

[@surbyug]

Bird sounds are like whistles. Does that mean they are whistling? Or are they singing? Or talking? They may sound the same, but they are not the same. The two hand clap may sound the same as a one hand clap, but does that mean they are the same thing? A recording makes the same sound as a singer singing, but the recording isn't singing. Perhaps what you are doing with one hand to make the same sound as a clap from two hands is not actually a clap, but something else.

[@DapperMudkip]

Here’s a kōan: Why is Gamora?

[@Varsocona]

I'll do YOU one better! WHEN is Gamora?!

[@forgetfulstranger]

How is Gamora?

[@JACKRAIDEN97]

IW sucked balls

[@Varsocona]

@Karan - Look out, we got a hipster over here!

[@BioHzrd0010]

_What_ is Gamora?

[@xD_HeavyMusic]

Those animations are melting my brain with the sheer amount of goodness! 😍 And amazing story-telling!

[@jackbelinski2661]

The idea of Koans could be helpful for writers engaging in the art of world building, because - and this is often hard for me to overcome - sometimes what’s important is not to explain something about a fictional world, but to ask: Why do you need an answer or an explanation?

[@sirsupesafro7637]

*Frozone's wife understood this concept very clearly:* Frozone: Where's my supersuit?! Honey: *WHY* do you need to know?! Stay woke.

[@Abdega]

IT’S FOR THE GREATER GOOD!

[@dadagecha1311]

Why did I read that in her voice?

[@phantomxt4427]

hats off to the animators behind this one. They put a lot of effort and talent into this video. It looks like they had fun making it.

[@somegoodsoup7008]

"I let the traveler there. Are you still carrying her?" *HOLY S**T YOU F***ING KILLED HER DUDE*

[@ni3070]

?

[@RLomoterenge]

N I Jon Tron meme reference

[@ni3070]

@@RLomoterenge no idea what that is, but ty

[@RLomoterenge]

N I Jon Tron is a commedian. A “meme” is a running joke on the internet.

[@ni3070]

@@RLomoterenge 👍

[@ahmedamir7]

"Do not try to bend the spoon, only try to realise the truth. There's no spoon" the matrix's Buddhist teachings

[@michaelserebreny454]

ahmed amir your daughter is hungry. She hasn't eaten all day and has a stomach ache. Do you tell her "do not try and find food, only try and realize the truth; there is no pain?"

[@thewhat531]

Michael Serebreny I have no daughter

[@michaelserebreny454]

The What!!? That's what you'll say when she's born, I'm afraid.

[@cuamanhong2719]

It teaches not to be attatched to things, it doesn't teach to avoid problems.

[@michaelserebreny454]

Cua Manh Động some people can't tell the difference.

[@MemeDog211]

I like how they always just end on a oneliner and then they continue walking Edit:You Guys really made my day by liking this

[@elim.4204]

MemeDog Same 😂👌

[@vangreen583]

Yes. The so called MOVING ON.

[@jamesmax]

I heard Sans laugh after I read that

[@jamesmax]

Okay now I want Papyrus and undyne to be the monks and Sans to be the old one

[@PrinsTan]

Or is it not the earth instead moving under their feet?

[@michaelmaloskyjr]

I hate descriptions like these "break the brain." Koans aren't designed to break anything; they're designed to free you FROM your brain, to "think like a rock," as in Japanese Zen Buddhism sword fighting when you stop thinking and exist solely in the present, reacting only to the immediate and flowing from one perfect present moment to the next.

[@Siddhartha040107]

you stink of zen now.

[@michaelmaloskyjr]

SIDDSTER Stick to your gaming videos, water's a little too deep on this end :)

[@Siddhartha040107]

michael malosky jr that' s why don't tread on it too :) subscribe to my channel :)

[@godscardioscar]

Take it this way: you are breaking the chains that enslave you to your mind :)

[@nhdarling2]

Flow state

[@monad5140]

"Ahead they see an attractive traveler" 2:14 *Nightmare fuel

[@averonisgaming9023]

"Ahead, they see nightmare fuel"

[@Gameknight2169]

“Is it A or B?” “Both. Both is good.”

[@gbart842]

"Never use the word never." “I have freely chosen to embrace determinism” "There is no truth." “You should not judge” “The scientific method is the only means of knowing truth” “History is unknowable” “Language cannot carry meaning” “What's true for you isn’t true for me”

[@fabianavalentino6304]

What is contradictory in "You should not judge"?

[@coolest8614]

Fabiana Valentino Saying ''you should not judge'' is a kind of judgment

[@gbart842]

The statement is a judgment itself. You have to make a judgment in order to say "You should not judge."

[@parvathisnambiar133]

I don't understand the fifth one

[@gbart842]

If “the scientific method is the only means of knowing truth” then you wouldn't be able to understand that statement itself, because it takes something other than the scientific method to understand it.

[@ThrottleKitty]

Monk: "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" Me: **rapidly slaps all my fingers against that palm over and over like a buffoon** Monk: **Disappointed head shaking**

[@Hakkyou13]

2:40 is the line I come back to. Letter and spirit of the law indeed

[@MrofficialC]

I like watching this over and over because you can get new meaning out of it each time.

[@ajaxzealand1530]

This is one the best Teds I’ve seen. The animation style and music makes it so captivating and almost calming despite the mind boggling subject.

[@PumpkinSpicePretzels]

Akida broke Monastic law, but so did Tanzen... so really, Tanzen's response amounts to "I'll do what I want and you're no better if you question me".

[@Khunark]

Exactly. But he didn't do what he wanted, it wasn't selfish. He did what she needed. Which if that's also what he wanted is a great thing.

[@gbibhav]

3:46 - knowledge from senses 3:49 - knowledge from intellect

[@mightyone3737]

I was introduced to this concept in university by an english professor, who pointed out that the famous Robert Frost poem about the two roads is a bit of a koan. Once one chooses a path, one cannot know how the others would truly go (unless one actually went down them), meaning the author is arguably lying that his choice made 'all the difference', since we don't truly know the outcomes of our choices, even if we think we do, in part because every choice has larger ramifications that aren't easy to predict. For example, what if you made a 'better' choice, but luck wasn't in your favour, and things go poorly? Was it the right choice? Technically it wasn't, but arguably it was... though in life, you'd probably prefer to have made the better choice over the 'technically correct' choice!

[@unleashingpotential-psycho9433]

I like how there are deeper meanings to the monks commitment to their own answers.

[@aidenfrost10]

Brilliant. Zen Buddhism is absolutely without a doubt one of the most enlightening yet difficult philosophies to master.

[@RGC_animation]

"unsolvable enigmas designed to break your brain" Me: Isn't that all of Ted-Ed riddle?

[@kdfoxbug3594]

:o

[@iNkenbiLL]

Buddhist proverbs and teachings always amaze me, I still remember the riddle played by three well-known monks: Chinlu, Chinawa and Chingas, about living and loving life no matter what the circumstances may be.

[@cassylk22]

His voice sounds so satisfying, i feel like i could listen to it for a long time

[@MONKEYDLUFFY-ci6wh]

Am I the only one who want that ancient VR ?

[@jcal1059]

Weird fact, despite this being a mentioned as a Chinese practice, kōan (こうあん) is the Japanese reading for the word. The Chinese reading is still gong’an (and written as 公案 in both languages). Wouldn’t be surprised if these practices existed in both cultures though as both countries are Buddhist countries and had a lot to do with each other throughout history.

[@SailR108]

Poetry are words used to express the inexpressible...yet, understanding can be transmitted...not unlike koans and symphonies 💞

[@gautamsivakumar319]

The answer to the quote at the beginning of the video is snapping your fingers

[@cookster69]

Which finger makes the noise then?

[@elim.4204]

TheCookieCrusader The human finger...

[@Dee-jp7ek]

TheCookieCrusader the one that isnt the thumb (some people use the index and others the middle). When you snap its that finger striking the fatty tissue at the base of the thumb that makes the 'snap'. You can cover that fatty tissue with your other hand then snap and hear that it's muffled.

[@cookster69]

Andii Neushul it's still neither. The middle finger caused the strike and the thumb reciprocated it.

[@royzhu5735]

Your binary thinking is failing to get you a satisfactory answer. The sound is neither the thumb nor the finger, but rather the contact both make with the air particles around them, which subsequently reach your ears and are translated as "sound".

[@jabba233hutt3]

The three monks story sounds oddly like Quantum mechanics 😂😂😂

[@thingonometry-1460]

How so?

[@momirbaborac5536]

Somewhat yes, QM is a concept since forever. It's just a name. Who's to say it wasn't partially discovered and designated differently many times in the past.

[@johnlucas6683]

Interesting.

[@michaelserebreny454]

Peter Liu 1223 mind only. But don't get hung up on it. That's just here.

[@ShivamGupta.31]

Tell me more please

[@karyryze5049]

I can't express how much I love the art style and expressions

[@anirr.c4498]

can we just take some time to applaud for the animation TED-ED brought to this video! its crazy good

[@thatlibrarian2004]

Thanks you Ted-Ed for always making such amazing videos on interesting topics with such good animation! It makes learning so much more interesting and fun! Could you please make a video on borderline personality disorder?

[@NIDELLANEUM]

The first video I have ever watched on 2019. As such, happy new year to whoever would read this!

[@onesimonhaca1752]

This was short yet so profound.

[@KusumKumariSingha]

TED-Ed videos are so soothing that I am binging them.

[@theblackvoid]

Monks: Aim for no attachment Also monks: Want enlightenment Isn't seeking enlightenment also an attachment?

[@bard5865]

Welcome to the age long paradox of Buddhism

[@mobychoc]

How do you not desire to stop desiring

[@CountingStars333]

@@bard5865 Not a real paradox, since many Buddhists recognise that wanting enlightenment is also a want.

[@CountingStars333]

@@mobychoc By living in the moment and accepting life as it is. Buddhists don't just desire to stop desiring. They accept desires with friendly compassion. And then the desires go, as is the natural flow of life.

[@mobychoc]

@@CountingStars333 would you say we learn to live above our demons or undesirable desires?

[@helloworldlalala]

"For these monks, blinding seeking answers was a vice to overcome, and learning to accept the mysteries of existence was the true path to enlightenment." Modern science would not have been possible for another 10,000 years with that attitude! And as cute as these riddles are, science has enlightened us much, much more.

[@special-delivery]

Science makes us Knowledgeable, it does not necessarily make us Wise. Zen teaches wisdom.

[@batticusmanacleas510]

This feels like one of the animators here is a veteran if the old Ren and Stimpy show. I kept expecting a Log commercial or a a weirdly drawn random shot of a close-up booger.

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Interesting and worthwhile beginning video on koans.

[@SoirEkim]

When I love animations it draws me in like this video did. There animators followed a rule I found in “Ren & Stempy”. Another animation series I love, including their banded episodes. 🥰

[@gobdovan]

0:17 that left leg looks a little funny

[@FlammieLL]

I love this kind of thinking, it's very easeful to my head. - It's not because you have 100 problems that makes your life difficult, it's because you have a problem with your 100 problems and making them 101 instead -

[@deejayjuicebox7623]

Wise man once said, "If you know too much, than you're not going to know enough." Riff Raff

[@gretaanne6403]

Oh my, the 3rd monk... he's in another parallel universe with the two other monks. The drawing, I mean... 3:32 He's adorable though :3

[@nino3753]

Yeah even though the monk with the "traveler" said what he said that doesn't suddenly absolve him of what he did and just deflected it. It is true that the other monk may have been holding on to that but it is not explained whether or not holding grudges/questioning/judging others isn't okay for them to do. In the second one it doesn't even matter. If there were a flag there then it was the flag moving, plain and simple. You cannot see wind moving. You can understand that wind MOVES flags but not actually see it in place of a flag. The third monks answer there is also just an aside where he comments that they're essentially "thinking" but that still doesn't change the subject at hand: the flag pole/flag. I'd like to hear more, hopefully they're actually more "paradoxical" than these.

[@CDexie]

See, willing to assume we both live in a "western society", these koans are really beyond us, since we live in a post-enlightenment world. We can't grab hold of their entire meaning.

[@plixxit3922]

I’d love to see more of these at some point

[@passivemind-meditationmusi6352]

This was beautiful. Thank You.

[@Pennyadodumuss]

If every mystery was solved, and every question throughout time and history was finally given an answer, there would only be one that shall ever remain... "Now what?"

[@aleksythehorse5984]

It is my personal belief that this is attainable and desirable. Although the question "Now what?" have no definitive answer. That is the answer is "whatever you want".

[@dudep504]

@@aleksythehorse5984 im not here to say you're wrong, but we didnt even know why living beings live, why are they alive. And also, the beginning of the universe

[@erick9348]

@@dudep504 First of all, "living" is not a state of matter but just a concept created by us to easily describe complex configurations of matter which interact with each other to produce copies of themselves which are not made by humans. And we cannot know at the moment if the beginning of the universe is unknowable if there even is a beginning in the traditional sense.

[@deeb3272]

12th Century: Koans 21st Century: Memes

[@amanmahato3897]

Examining the grey area between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law👏👏: 2:41 Tanzan smiled, 'I left the traveler there. Are you still carrying her?'

[@maxnotreally6047]

This animation is so good! Love the art style

[@SolanaBonnie]

This was really interesting ! Would love to see more Buddhism themes :)

[@arthurseara]

Yes!

[@nischalsingh]

2:35 I have to give second thought there

[@katieeckler7543]

Loved this animation style! So unique

[@quint1715]

Alan Watts did a very good job at explaining the unexplainable

[@josephmanning2129]

“Two hands make a clap, One hand makes a...” snap?

[@worthlessanimations]

Joseph Manning one hand makes a whoosh if you move it really fast

[@nuadathesilverhand3563]

These arrent puzzles, they're parables. They arrent "solvable" because they don't ask a question, they make a statement. I suppose you could argue that the question is what that statement is? But if they're designed to be "unsolvable," in this sense, then they don't really have an intended statement behind them, giving us an answer to all of them collectively: there is no answer. So I can happily ignore the lack of an answer, knowing that I understand the koans perfectly well, while still being curious about the answers to actual questions, such as "why is titans' atmosphere so thick?" Or "what causes gravity?"

[@dudep504]

Gravity is caused by mass of an object bending time and space (yeah dude time and space) In quantum mechanic, theres a theory stating that gravity is caused by gravitons doing their stuff We know time and space bends in gravity because of several experiments that i just dont wanna get into because i didnt remember any of those Titan's atmosphere is thick is probably just a coincidence when forming the solar system

[@mashedtomato2079]

@@dudep504 most areas in the solar system have lost their original atmospheres, mostly as a result of lack of magnetic field to protect said atmosphere, mars had an oxygen based atmosphere, most of it got blasted into space from solar wind but some of it mixed with iron on the surface to create rust, giving it the reddish surface we see today

[@michaelserebreny454]

Opinion guy what gives a particle it's rest mass? Why do some particles have mass while others don't?

[@adivaasadullah6442]

This animation made my day and made me feel euphoric thank u animator!

[@jessefp1940]

This is a really important video to me, thank you for making it

[@supermatrum]

This is quite the interesting topic. One of the many reasons I love Ted - Ed.

[@JulesBartow]

I'm 🖤triggered... what a Steaming pho bowl 🍜 of 💩 this comment is. That better be heteronomormative Love! 🐑Ewe people are too easy to hate as a foe, flinging faux broadly amorphous terms. Please enlighten us by checking the box 📦 below exactly what your implication(s) is/arrgh 🏴‍☠ when your fingetips caress the keyboard to write 'love'. ☐ Eros ☐ Philia ☐ Ludus ☐ Agape ☐ Pragma ☐ Philautia

[@adamlatosinski5475]

Isn't obtaining the answers the reason why we watch your videos?

[@desamster]

Adam Latosiński Good point. However, if we'd think we know everything, we wouldn't come looking. So there's merit to being open to not knowing. Which writer said we are floating on an ocean of knowledge/information? The more you come to know, the more you realize how little you know. And then of course, there are the fundamental questions of the how and why of existence.

[@jonirojonironin5353]

The reason why I watch Ted-Ed's videos is to know that I know nothing.

[@harshamalavalli9396]

It isn't to obtain the answers, but rather to explore the questions

[@michaelserebreny454]

Harsha Malavalli that's only half of it. What if the question is; "what do I do when you say you're in pain?" Is my task only exploration?

[@balthazarmayrena600]

Thanks for this TEDed. Enlightenment in a bite size package :)

[@alonsostange1]

What great insight these videos bring to the modern days. Great format for easy digestion of deep concepts about us. We could use some of these in todays culture.