The Intimacy of Not Knowing

The book provides any intellectually-curious person with a description of how Zen Koans are used to diminish mental suffering. Koans, sometimes called "Zen riddles" are paradoxical teaching stories that can trigger Buddhist enlightenment. The book discusses how responding to koans does not allow wordy explanations but leads the aspiring student to demonstrate their grasp of a given koan bodily, through physical actions and gestures. It is designed to give its readers a sense of the benefits of working with koans; even if they are not Buddhists and do not meditate.