Daily Buddhism

Here it is: the one koan that everyone has before. There’s actually quite a bit more to it than the “punchline” that we all know. Here goes:
The master of Kennin temple was Mokurai, Silent Thunder. He had a little protege named Toyo who was only twelve years old. Toyo saw the older disciples [...]

Koan: Shoun & His Mother
Shoun became a teacher of Soto Zen. When he was still a student his father passed away, leaving him to care for his old mother.
Whenever Shoun went to a meditation hall he always took his mother with him. Since she accompanied him, when he visited monasteries he could not live with [...]