Case 1

The most famouns Zen koan of all is a play on a Chinese proverb `It takes two hands to clap':

Master: `What is the sound of one hand clapping?'

Po-chang needed a master for his new monastery, so he called all his monks together
and set a pitcher before them saying:

Master: `Without calling it a pitcher, tell me what is is'

Head monk: `You couldn't call it a piece of wood'

The cook walked up and kicked over the pitcher spilling the water and walked away. The cook was put in charge of the new monastery.

Case 3

A monk asked Ts'u-wei:  `For what reason did Boddhidharma come from the West?"

Master Ts'u-wei answered `Pass me that chin rest'. As soon as it was passed the master hit the monk with it.

Case 4

A master was having tea with two student monks. He tossed his fan to one and said `What
is this?'   The student opened it and fanned himself.   `Not bad' said the master and passed the fan to the second student who closed the fan and scratched his neck with it and then opened the fan, placed a piece of cake on it, and offered it to the master.

Case 5

Student: `What is the meaning of Boddhidharma coming from the west?'

Master: `No meaning'

Student: `In phenomena, what is true?'

Master: `The very phenomena are themselves truth.'

Student: `The how should it be revealed?'

The master lifted the tea tray.

Tung-shan asked: `What is your name, monk?'

`Pen-chi.'

Tung-shan said `Say something more.'

`I won't.'

`Why not?'

`My name is not Pen-chi.'

Someone asked `If you form an idea about something, it's only a mere resemblance, isnt it?'

The Master said `Even if you don't form an idea, it's still a mere resemblance.'

`How do these differ?'

`You're a man who doesn't feel pain and itching, aren't you?'

Someone asked `What do you think about? The moment discrimination arises, one becomes confused and loses one's mind?'

The Master said `Kill, kill!'

A monk asked master Chao-chou respectfully:

`Does a dog really have a Buddha-nature or not?'

Chao-chou said `Mu' (Chinese: nothingness, nothing)

Emperor Wu: `I have erected temples and supported monks. What virtue will come out of it?'

Boddhidharma, `No virtue.'

Emperor Wu, `What is the most important teaching of the holy principles the Buddha?'

Boddhidharma, `Emptiness, not holiness.'

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