What is the sound of one hand clapping?
"What is the sound of one hand clapping?" is a traditional zen koan -- a question posed by a Zen master to a student.
It is meant to be pondered from within the routine of daily life until the answer opens the true heart of the question. All koans must be answered from within the realm of one's own personal experience, and thus be encountered in the journey of living rather than in the rationalizations of logical thought.
Accordingly, each koan has many answers, answers that will vary both in words and in the stirring of one's mind and emotions.
Even the wisest Zen teacher cannot tell you your own answer. You must find it for yourself, and not in your mind, and not in the comfort of a rational response. Once experienced, the answer is often a life changing experience, and needs no confirmation from anyone else.
Here are responses to the question from a variety of WikiAnswer users:
- What is the sound of one hand clapping? To know, you must experience those aspects of your own life that create this very soundless sound (emotion) within your own being. People who have truly lived with a koan for an extended period of time come to experience the answer. In my own travels down this path with this particular question, there eventually came to be a certain opening of awareness, and a manifestation of the heart of compassion became tangible within. In my experience, the sound of one hand clapping is the emotion of loneliness deeply felt in an increasingly self centered pursuit of enlightenment Experiencing this "answer" turned me away from relative isolation and the self-centered desire to "know," and towards the world and the practice of metta.
- The simpler answer- It depends on what the hand is clapping against! The yin and yang of it. The Gestalt. The figure and the ground. The container and the contents.
- What is the sound of one hand clapping in your own life?
- The sound of one hand clapping is silence. The silence refers to the essence of being which is nothingness.
- What is the sound of one hand clapping? Who are you when your thinking is silenced? .
- Our true nature is stillness. That stillness is the same everywhere in everything. But like he up there... concepts won't teach you anything.
- The sound of one hand clapping is a tiny sound that can be barley heard by humans.
- the hand is the human heart and the clapping is emotions the other hand represents the one that makes us whole thus the clapping of both hands is the power of two people's emotions and the hands touching each other is the connection between the two people
- The sound of one hand clapping is a conversation with someone that never connects with them so you try again and again before realizing you are only talking to yourself - they don't get it. If you never realize that, you are just insane by definition and you will continue to be the one hand that connects with nothingness.
- Using a sound recording device, clap with one hand. Play back the result
How many pages does The Sound of One Hand Clapping have?
The Sound of One Hand Clapping has 425 pages. Read More
What makes the sound of one hand clapping?
When clapping both hands one sound is heard. The sound only seems as one, but it is actually the sum of two sounds. Right hand and left hand. Each hand is making the sound of one hand clapping. Read More
What is the duration of The Sound of One Hand Clapping film?
The duration of The Sound of One Hand Clapping - film - is 1.55 hours. Read More
What is the ISBN of The Sound of One Hand Clapping?
The ISBN of The Sound of One Hand Clapping is 0-7329-0896-5. Read More
When was The Sound of One Hand Clapping - film - created?
The Sound of One Hand Clapping - film - was created on 1996-04-23. Read More
What is the sound of a one-hand clapping?
This question has 2 answers. Either a one-hand clapping makes a lighter sound than a two-hand clapping when your one hand tries to slap its fingers to its palm. The other answer would be that it sounds like this: Read More
Who is clapping with one hand?
I'm not completely sure what you are asking but I think the sound of one hand clapping is snapping your fingers because the sound from a snap comes from the air escaping from under your middle finger when it contacts the base of your thumb. Read More
What is the product of 134.4?
A product of one number is like the sound of one hand clapping. It cannot exist. Read More
If you clap with one hand will it make a sound?
no. that is not true because, you have to think "well what can I clap on one hand for it to make a sound?" or "is my clapping metaphorical as in silent applause?" there are many answers to this but there wouldn't be a definite "yes" or "no" Well.... No. Clapping is useing both hands and hitting them against eachother to make a sound, you cannot make a sound useing only one hand. Unless you… Read More
What is the duration of One-Hand Clapping?
The duration of One-Hand Clapping is 1.57 hours. Read More
What is the answer to -7?
What is the question ? The answer to -7 is a lot like one scissor, or the sound of one hand clapping. Read More
What is the sound made by one hand clapping?
This is called a loaded question. Loaded questions contain false or questionable assumptions. The classic example is "Do you still beat your dog?" This question assumes that the person owns a dog and that the dog has been beaten. If either of these assumptions are false the question cannot be answered with "yes" or "no", correct answers expose the false assumptions contained within the question. Answers might be "I do not own a dog" or… Read More
What actors and actresses appeared in One Hand Clapping - 2013?
The cast of One Hand Clapping - 2013 includes: Kyle Worthington as Alex Read More
What does Gandhi mean when he say no clapping is possible without two hand to do it?
Try clapping with one! Read More
What is nonprejudicial rhetorical question?
nonprejudicial rhetoric defines itselfs; as in unbais discourse when asking a question. for example: what is the sound of one hand clapping? Read More
What is the GCF of 2 to the third power?
The sound of one hand clapping. GCF, greatest common factor, needs two or more numbers to work on. Read More
What actors and actresses appeared in One Hand Clapping - 1972?
The cast of One Hand Clapping - 1972 includes: Don Arioli Dave Broadfoot Judith Gault Read More
Are there immortal Chinese wizards that walk the earth unseen?
Uh--they're unseen, it would be hard to know, like the sound of one hand clapping. Read More
What is this entire quote I took an hour to watch a flower time has treated me well?
It is the sound of a single hand clapping Read More
What is the product of six tenths?
A 'product' is the answer you get when you multiply two numbers (multiply one number by another). There's no such thing as the product of one number. It's like the sound of one hand clapping. Read More
Which Buddhism use riddles in meditation and value simplicity?
"Riddles" implies that there is an answer to the clever question posed in the koans. Koans are often associated with Zen Buddhism. Koans would fail that test of being a riddle as they are a whetstone for the instantaneous understanding of events and interactions. There are no answers although there are learned interpretations by scholars. Thinking you have found the answer in both koans and life is often a sign that you are moving away… Read More
What does the hand clapping at the beginning of the song mr postman?
The clapping at the beginning of the song "Please Mr. Postman" is known as the hook. Read More
Did the dog has a characteristic of cnidarian?
Actually no, Koans aside, as the dog is not radially symetrical :} I might respond with, "what is the sound of one tentacle clapping?" Read More
Explain One Hand Clapping in Buddhism?
"What is the sound of one hand clapping" is a well known Zen Buddhist Koan. Koans are questions whose answer cannot be arrived at through analytical mental processes - you can't think your way to the right answer. The only route to the answer for a Koan is the instantaneous appreciation of the qustion at an intuitive or instinctive manner. Resolving Koans trains the Zen student in this non-analytical mental process. This means that simply… Read More
What does the movie black swan open with dancing clapping or cheering?
It opens with dancing. No clapping or cheering. There seem to be the sound of a passing train lightly in the back ground briefly. Read More
How many syllables are in tulip?
2 -- tu. lip do the hand clapping if you find yourself saying it too fast in one then you know theres more!! Read More
What is a zen puzzle?
A Koan is a question askd bt a Zen master. It has no logical or right answer but is a test to see if the student can intuit the answer without recourse to the intellect. Some students refer to abook of "answered" koans and parrot the response with all the reasons. This is not the way or the pupose. A example - What is the sound of one hand clapping? Read More
Why is it called clapboard?
Because when you carry two or more pieces on your shoulder they emit a clapping sound. Read More
Why are farts loud?
It's just the sound of your butt cheeks clapping together when the air pushes them. Read More
What are the instruments in never say never in karate kid?
almost nothing but hand clapping and drums Read More
How do you add clapping hands on a PowerPoint presentation?
To add the graphical clapping hands, find it on the net and then you can save it and insert it as a graphic into the Powerpoint slide you want it on. For the sound affect, it is in the animation settings and is known as Applause. Read More
What famous koan did Hakuin write?
"Two hands clap and there is a sound; what is the sound of one hand?" Read More
How do you get back circulation to your hand?
clapping should work, and/or massaging the wrist and he surrounding area Read More
How many syllables in trial?
try clapping your hands to the sound of the syllables. Tri-al. So, there are 2 syllables. Read More
Can a harmonica be held in one hand?
Yes, but you will get a better sound if you hold it with both. The best sound comes if you hold your left hand so that it covers the back of the instrument and your right hand flutters in front of right side of the back causing the sound to vibrate. Read More
What sound do crashing waves sound like?
it is white noise. this also includes a large audience clapping, static in a radio, jet engine exhaust. any sound with a large amount of random frequencies. Read More
What is the length of a turbo 400 transmission dipstick?
What is the sound of one hand clapping? Grasshopper, your question leaves out many facts needed to solve problem. IE, car make and model, size of motor and is this the original transmission. While not always true that the answer to a question is in the correctly worded question, answers to such a question are much easier to give. Read More
What are some aboriginal instruments?
* Didgeridoo * Clapsticks * Boomarang Clapsticks * Hand Clapping * Skin Drum * Rasp * Rattle Read More
Can energy be coverted from one form to another?
Yes, energy is converted from one form to another all the time. The mechanical energy you use when you clap your hands together is converted to sound energy (the sound of clapping) and, if you clap long enough you can also notice that some of it is also converted to heat energy. Read More
What are all the numbers between 0.2?
We'll await the answer eagerly, though it won't help a bit to satisfy our curiosity regarding the sound of one hand clapping, the proper method of using a scissor or a tweezer, or the easiest way to put on a pant. And while we're at it, here is a partial score from the big game: 14 . Read More
What does a beaver sound like when scared?
when beavers get scared, they slap their tails against the water and it makes a loud clapping noise Read More
What does Shawn Johnson's gymnastics conditioning workout include?
clapping push ups, strattle press hand stands, and running Read More