Imaginations of Emptiness: Twentieth-Century Zen Buddhist Literature as Utopian Narrative and Spiritual Autobiography Ghent University
“Encounter dialogue” is perhaps the most recognizable of all (Zen) Buddhist genres. Better known under their abbreviated form as kōan, these texts portray mysterious verbal sparring bouts between Zen masters and students, with the former often besting the latter by answering complicated doctrinal questions in an illogical manner. This project looks at how encounter dialogues have been incorporated in modern memoirs about time spent in Zen ...