The Fireplace Records, Chapter 41
The Sounds of One Hand
Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) was dedicated to help others attain insight, good behavior, generosity, and enlightenment. He was famous for his outstanding calligraphy and ink paintings. He composed many essays and sermons on Buddhism.
One koan he frequently used to help his students was "What is the sound of one hand?"
The Sounds of One Hand
Hakuin's cane struck the shoulders of his sleeping student.
The infant raised one hand and cried out.
He reached out and handed the child a book.
He slapped his hand on the table and said "No!"
The drummer's stick hit the snare drum.
He cut his hand with the sharp knife and cried out.
The soldier's severed hand rotted in the mud.
The pupil composed himself and then extended one hand forward.
The student slapped Hakuin's face.
The sound of silence in one hand.
The mother patted her hand on her daughter's shoulder
His hand made a fist.
He shook the hand of his rival.
He handed the beggar a $20.00 bill.
He dreamt that his one hand was stuck in the rocks.
He felt pain in his one hand thrust into the ice cold water.
He held the burning cigarette in his left hand.
The judge struck his gavel on the desk to return order in the court.
Her beautiful hand gently touched his face as he smiled.
The soccer players exchanged high-fives after one scored a goal.
He extended his hand to help up the old woman who had fallen down.
They lovers held hands and gently kissed.
He slurped the Mizo soup from the spoon in his right hand.
He clapped one hand on his knee to applaud the child singing.
The Dragon's claws scratched the Pearl that he grasped in his fist.
Hakuin's dragon cane clicked on the hardwood floor as he walked out.
Now I understand the difference between reality and Reality.
If when clapping both hands a sound is heard; what is the sound of the one hand?
Making a sound or hearing a sound; which came first?
Did you hear the sound of one hand from the front or from the back?
Many sounds can be made with one hand.
You must do something to make a sound with one hand.
The sound of one hand is "one hand."
The moving hand and its sound are simultaneous.
The still hand is silent.
"The hand is the cutting edge of the mind." - Jacob Bronowski
“We leave traces of ourselves wherever we go, on whatever we touch.”
- Lewis Thomas
Zen Master Hakuin Ekaku (1686-1769) painted a Dragon Staff with a horsehair whisk attached. He would give this painting to his lay students who passed the Zen koan, "What is the sound of one hand clapping."
Hands, Fingers, Touch, Feeling, Manipulation
Sounds, Listening, Silence, Hearing
636 Riddles, Jokes, Witticisms, Humor
Refer to my Cloud Hands Blog Posts on the topic of Koans/Stories.
Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans
Zen Buddhist Koans: Indexes, Bibliography, Commentary, Information
Pulling Onions Over 1,043 One-line Sayings, Quips, Maxims, Humor
Chinese Chan Buddhist and Taoist Stories and Koans
The Fireplace Records (Blog Version) By Michael P. Garofalo
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