The Fireplace Records, Chapter 49
The Idea of the Essence of the Number 5
Master Koin asked Monk Dogen
"Express your idea of the number 5?"
Dogen raised his five fingers.
"Very good, that's a good hand," said Koin.
Both raised five fingers and laughed.
Koin held up
his right hand;
Dogen held up
his left hand---
mirror images
The Fireplace Records: Index of Chapter Titles.
Links to the Cloud Hands Blog Posts.
By Michael P. Garofalo. 49 Chapters as of 2/20/2026.
Zen Koans: The Fireplace Records
Koans by Mike Garofalo
Subject Index to 1,975 Zen Buddhist Koans
It should be noted that all the koans after Number 49
in the Fireplace Records are very brief poems, remarks,
questions, koans, and onions.
Check out The Whole World is a Single Flower by
Zen Master Seung Sahn (1927-2004). His 365 koans
are often quite brief.
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