this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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Opening the Hand of Thought quote (lemmy.world)
submitted 10 months ago by StrangeMed@lemmy.world to c/buddhism@lemmy.world
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“If we actually touch fire, we will certainly be burned, but if we merely say the word fire without actually touching it, we won’t be burned. Likewise, if we only think of the word fire, our heads will not be set ablaze. Therefore, the definition of fire, whose nature is to burn all things, cannot itself be the reality of it.”

Kosho Uchiyama

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[–] grrgyle@slrpnk.net 4 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Interesting thought. Pardon my ignorance, but would this be considered a "koan".

[–] StrangeMed@lemmy.world 3 points 10 months ago

No, this is a part where he was explaining how mind-perception works

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

If I’m not mistaken koans are typically based on much older stories. This guy is 20th century. Great question though!

[–] rainrain@sh.itjust.works -2 points 10 months ago

He's explaining the difference between "thinking" and "reality" with an example.

So, not a koan but rather a forthright attempt to get a point across.