Green Koans

Green Koans

Green Koans Case 16: The Great Being

In the Perfection of Wisdom in 8,000 Lines Sutra, Subhuti asks the Buddha, “Why do you refer to the Bodhisattva as a ‘Great Being’?” The Buddha replies, “The Bodhisattva is called “Great Being” because he will…

By Clark Strand

Green Koans with Clark Strand

Ideas Green Koans

Green Koans with Clark Strand

Learn more about Zen Koans, paradoxical anecdotes or riddles, used in Zen Buddhism to provoke enlightenment. Each of these Koan cases is accompanied by commentary by Clark Strand, an ex-Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk and former Senior Editor of…

By Clark Strand

Monju (Manjushri) by Seiko Morningstar

Ideas Green Koans

Green Koans Case 2: Shantideva’s Sword

  Case #2: Shantideva’s Sword Once Shantideva became a bodyguard to King Arivishana. But unlike the other bodyguards, he managed to defeat the king’s enemies using only a wooden sword. “This man is an imposter!” the…

By Clark Strand

View from Denisova Cave in southern Siberia, where archaeologists recently recovered mitochondrial DNA from the finger-bone of an early hominid

Ideas Green Koans

Green Koans Case 1: Shakyamuni Touches the Earth

  Case #1: Shakyamuni Touches the Earth As Shakyamuni meditated beneath the bodhi tree, Mara pointed to the place where he sat and demanded, “Who witnesses your right to the seat of enlightenment?” Shakyamuni reached a finger down…

By Clark Strand

Get Daily Dharma in your email

Start your day with a fresh perspective

a photo of a Buddhist meditating
Explore timeless teachings through modern methods.

With Stephen Batchelor, Sharon Salzberg, Andrew Olendzki, and more

See Our Courses