: a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment
Examples of koan in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lucas was asked about Yoda’s particular patter, which often found the character doing away with typical sentence structure and essentially delivering his heady insights and mighty koans backwards.
—
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025
Sensei presents an introduction on how to work with koans in meditation, turning life’s challenges into tools for deeper insight.
—Jake Richardson, Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2025
The gags here are perhaps best appreciated as Zen koans, jokes that hit you sideways rather than head on.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
This little koan is more or less a gloss of the Bonnaroovian Code, a set of directives and injunctions that we’re all supposed to follow as denizens of this campus.
—Barrett Swanson, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for koan
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2025
Sensei presents an introduction on how to work with koans in meditation, turning life’s challenges into tools for deeper insight.
—Jake Richardson, Mercury News, 24 Mar. 2025
The gags here are perhaps best appreciated as Zen koans, jokes that hit you sideways rather than head on.
—Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 19 Mar. 2025
This little koan is more or less a gloss of the Bonnaroovian Code, a set of directives and injunctions that we’re all supposed to follow as denizens of this campus.
—Barrett Swanson, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for koan
Cite this Entry
“Koan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/koan. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share