koan
noun
ko·an ˈkō-ˌän 
: a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web It’s like a Zen koan: The first rule of routines is to develop one and stick with it. 
Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2020 No, that’s not a Zen Buddhist koan designed to perplex music fans and philosophers alike. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 Meanwhile, Smith provides the vocal counterpoint, grounding the song in her emo-koan-voice that’s quickly becoming the go-to sound of 2022. Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2022 To me, Ritual’s products sounded like one hand clapping: a cocktail koan. John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2021 The answer is a Zen koan: wide enough to accommodate all the passengers that flow through at peak times. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 May 2021 But insights can also be found in the very act of solving the puzzle itself, just as illumination may come from contemplating a Zen koan. Quanta Magazine, 10 Feb. 2021 His answer is also a Zen koan that tells a lot about him: Walking functions as a metaphor for life. Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2020 Officials and researchers alike were speaking in paradoxes akin to Zen koans. Kitty Morgan, SFChronicle.com, 19 Apr. 2020 See More
Outside Online, 5 Feb. 2020 No, that’s not a Zen Buddhist koan designed to perplex music fans and philosophers alike. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 July 2022 Meanwhile, Smith provides the vocal counterpoint, grounding the song in her emo-koan-voice that’s quickly becoming the go-to sound of 2022. Sarah Grant, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2022 To me, Ritual’s products sounded like one hand clapping: a cocktail koan. John Seabrook, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2021 The answer is a Zen koan: wide enough to accommodate all the passengers that flow through at peak times. Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 May 2021 But insights can also be found in the very act of solving the puzzle itself, just as illumination may come from contemplating a Zen koan. Quanta Magazine, 10 Feb. 2021 His answer is also a Zen koan that tells a lot about him: Walking functions as a metaphor for life. Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2020 Officials and researchers alike were speaking in paradoxes akin to Zen koans. Kitty Morgan, SFChronicle.com, 19 Apr. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Japanese kōan, from kō public + an proposition
First Known Use
1945, in the meaning defined above