How I heard the sound of one hand clapping.

Zen teachings use koans to provoke thought and contemplation on deep topics. A koan may appear to be a paradoxical riddle at first that questions the possibility of something. However, after self-reflection and examination may uncover profound insights. Here's my experience.

When I first read "The Sound of One Hand Clapping," it presented a puzzle to me. It disrupts the conventional cause and effect. I questioned how a single hand could produce the sound of clapping when it usually requires two. The koan lingered on my mind, kept me feeling unsettled

Zen masters recommend meditating on these koans. A few days later, I woke up with a realization that the koan addressed duality. It reflected that everything has an opposite, such as light and dark, good and evil. Reality transcends this duality.

I learned that the sound of one hand clapping signifies the ultimate oneness of reality. I had to let go of my binary thinking and appreciate the inherent interconnectedness between the two hands. I felt accomplished.

However, the nudging had not stopped. A few more days passed, and my mind, still fixed on the koan. Today a new aha-moment presented itself in another expanded understanding of this phrase..

The ego causes constant chatter inside our mind. It creates discomfort due to desires, judgments, and aversions. It tends to fragment different parts of our psyches, resulting in mental or emotional turmoil. The sound of conflict with our egos is reminiscent of one hand clapping.

The ego creates an illusion of separation and conflict within the mind, seeking recognition or validation. If the inner self, indicative of genuine desires and values, clash with this hand, it can cause dissonance and manifest as anxiety, self-doubt, or frustration.

To me, this koan serves as a valuable instrument to understand duality and unity. At the same time, it can also be a representation of our inner discords. And that is the uncomfortable sound like that of one hand clapping.