Kōan

Kōan is a type of story used by Zen Buddhists to help them think deeply and find wisdom. Zen Buddhists believe that by thinking about and discussing kōans, they can learn more about themselves and their lives. Kōans usually have an unexpected answer or involve seeing things from a different perspective. For example, one kōan is "What is the sound of one hand clapping?" The answer isn't a word like "clap" but can be something like "the sound of the wind."