A koan can be thought of as a riddle. Unlike a riddle, a koan does not necessarily have a logical or inferential answer. In fact, it may have no answer at all. The effect of a koan can be to break the student out of his “thinking” mind.
Some koans can be obscure and impenetrable. Often, they are paradoxical and seem nonsensical. They may require long study and deep contemplation. Yet, some koans can trigger a very sudden and profoundly clear insight, knocking us backwards as if struck by a blow to the head.
In the end, a koan is not an end unto itself, but the means to an end. They are tools for achieving insight on a level not encountered in everyday life.
Masonic Koans
Masonic symbols similarly transcend the intellect. Through symbols, Freemasonry tries to get its members to move beyond the intellectual, beyond the literal and even the abstract. Masonic symbols could, therefore, be viewed as pictorial koans. Masonic ritual could be viewed as koans in action.
If the enigmas of the symbols and rituals of the various degrees are studied as koans are studied, they may very well provide insights not otherwise available to the Masonic student.
Click here to go to Part 2: Working with Koans