Koan #1...

By Vichara

Recently I have been dipping into some of my really old notes and a collection of Zen koans. For those that may not be familiar with what a koan is I will try to define. A koan is like a window which we may glimpse a “truth”. These phrases or questions can be used as an object of contemplation, a starting point to dive deeper into understanding life and gaining some insights. I thought I would share one of these at the beginning of each week for a while. Some of the old Zen masters would meditate on a koan for years but I thought a week would be a good starting point. Perhaps you may want to write it on a post-it and read it different times during the week to see what thoughts and feeling arise. Who knows what insight may come about and maybe we can share. Here is the first;

“We stand in our own shadow and wonder why it is dark”

plethora • \PLETH-uh-ruh\ • noun
: an excessive quantity or fullness; also : profusion
Example Sentence:
A plethora of books on the American Civil War stood out among the many titles stacked here and there in the professor's office.
Did you know?
"Plethora" comes from a similar Greek word meaning "fullness." It was first used in English in the 16th century to describe a supposed medical condition marked by an excess volume of blood causing swelling and a reddish complexion. Later, the medical use of "plethora" was extended to indicate related medical conditions (such as an excess volume of bodily fluid or the red-skinned appearance of some newborns). These days, however, "plethora" is more often used in a general, non-medical sense, with the meaning "excess" or "abundance."