Mondō Jap. (Chin., Wen-ta), lit. “question [and] answer”; Zen dialogue between masters or between master and student in which one party asks a question concerning Buddhism or some existential problem that has profoundly disquieted him and the other, without recourse in any way to theory or logic, responds in a way that invokes the answer from the deepest layers of his partner’s heart-mind (kokoro; also hossen).
Many mondo handed down by tradition later became kōans. Three famous examples of such
mondō are the following:
“A monk asked master Tung-shan, ‘What is Buddha?’ Tung-shan said, ‘Three pounds of flax’ [Jap., masagin].”
“Ta-mei once asked Ma-tsu, ‘What is Buddha?’ Ma-tsu said, ‘Not mind, not Buddha.’ “
“A monk asked Chao-chou ‘What is the meaning of the patriarch’s coming from the west?’ Chao-chou said, ‘The oak over there in the garden.’ “
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Books on Mondō
External links