this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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Opening the Hand of Thought quote (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 month 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 1 month ago (3 children)

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

[–] StrangeMed@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

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

[–] ocean@lemmy.selfhostcat.com 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month 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 1 month 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.