Editing Koan (section)

==Modern Chinese Chán and Korean Seon==
{{Main|Hua Tou}}

In the modern period, the practice of meditating on the critical phrase ({{transliteration|zh|[[Hua Tou|huatou]]}}) of a {{transliteration|zh|gōng'àn}} is still taught and some Chinese Chan figures like [[Sheng-yen|Sheng Yen]] and [[Hsu Yun|Xuyun]] taught the practice and wrote on it.<ref>see: Sheng Yen (2009), ''Shattering the Great Doubt: The Chan Practice of Huatou,'' Translated by, Dharma Drum publications</ref><ref name="Chang, Garma C. C. 1970 pp. 72-85">Chang, Garma C. C. (1970), ''Practice of Zen'', pp. 72-85. Perennial Library / Harper & Row.</ref>

Modern [[Chinese Chán]] and [[Korean Seon]] generally follow the method taught by [[Dahui Zonggao|Dahui]], which emphasizes meditation on a {{transliteration|zh|huatou}} ('critical phrase', 'word head'). In this method one repeats the phrase over and over again and inquires into it while in meditation (sitting or walking) as well as in daily activities. In this mainland tradition of {{transliteration|zh|huatou}} practice, also called {{transliteration|zh|kanhua}}, 'reflection on the {{transliteration|ja|kōan}}',{{sfn|Schlütter|2000|p=168}}{{sfn|Ford|2006|p=38}} a fragment of a {{transliteration|ja|kōan}}, such as {{transliteration|ja|mu}}, or a "what is"-question is used by focusing on this fragment and repeating it over and over again.<ref name="Lachs 2012" group="web" /><ref group="web">{{cite web |title=Huatou |url=http://www.dharmanet.org/samples/chansample2.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515010005/http://www.dharmanet.org/samples/chansample2.htm |archive-date=2013-05-15 |work=The Legacy of Chan |publisher=Ashoka}}</ref>

In this tradition one generally contemplates one such phrase for an extended period of time, going deeper and deeper into it, instead of going through an extended curriculum as in Japanese Rinzai. A student may be assigned only one {{transliteration|zh|huatou}} for their whole life.{{sfn|Ford|2006|p=38}} The focus of this contemplation is on generating the sense of "great doubt" and on having faith in the Dharma and the practice.<ref name="Lachs" group="web" /> According to Ford the {{transliteration|zh|huatou}} "becomes a touchstone of our practice: it is a place to put our doubt, to cultivate great doubt, to allow the revelation of great faith, and to focus our great energy."{{sfn|Ford|2006|p=38}}

[[Xuyun]] wrote:

{{blockquote|The important thing is to stick to {{transliteration|zh|Hua Tou}} at all times, when walking, lying, or standing. From morning to night observing {{transliteration|zh|Hua Tou}} vividly and clearly, until it appears in your mind like the autumn moon reflected limpidly in quiet water. If you practice this way, you can be assured of reaching the state of Enlightenment.<ref name="Chang, Garma C. C. 1970 pp. 72-85">Chang, Garma C. C. (1970), ''Practice of Zen'', pp. 72-85. Perennial Library / Harper & Row.</ref>}}

Examples of {{transliteration|zh|huatou}} which are used in meditation include: "What is this?"; "What was the original face before my father and mother were born?"; "Who is dragging this corpse about?"; and "Who am I?".<ref name=":0" group="web">{{cite web |author=Chuan Zhi |date=4 October 2011 |title=The Hua-Tou Practice |url=https://www.exploringchan.org/subjects/chan-training-and-practice/the-hua-tou/huatoupractice.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325024657/http://www.eyeofchan.org/all-articles/articles-by-author/articles-by-chuan-zhi/759-huatoupractice.html |archive-date=2016-03-25 |website=Exploring Chán}}</ref>

Another popular practice in Chinese Chan is using the {{transliteration|zh|[[nianfo]]}} (repetition of [[Amitābha|Amitabha Buddha]]'s name) as a {{transliteration|zh|gōng'àn}} practice. This method of "{{transliteration|zh|Nianfo}} Chan" ({{lang|zh|念佛禪}}) was promoted in the modern era by Xuyun and relies on repeating the Buddha's name while also asking "who is reciting?".<ref name=":02">Sharf, Robert H. ''On Pure Land Buddhism and Ch'an/Pure Land Syncretism in Medieval China.'' T'oung Pao Second Series, Vol. 88, Fasc. 4/5 (2002), pp. 282-331, Brill.</ref><ref>Baroni, Helen Josephine (2006). ''Iron Eyes: The Life and Teachings of the Ōbaku Zen master Tetsugen Dōko,'' pp 5-6. State University of New York Press. {{ISBN|0-7914-6891-7}}.</ref><ref name=":0" group="web" /> The practice of using {{transliteration|zh|nianfo}} in a {{transliteration|zh|gōng'àn}} like fashion is also found in the Japanese [[Ōbaku]] school and was taught by their founding masters (including Yǐnyuán, i.e. [[Ingen]]), indicating that this method dates at least as far back as the Ming dynasty.<ref>Baskind, James (2008), "[https://web.archive.org/web/20140322123250/http://www.japanese-religions.jp/publications/assets/JR33_a_Baskind.pdf The Nianfo in Obaku Zen: A Look at the Teachings of the Three Founding Masters]" (PDF), Japanese Religions 33 (1-2), 19-34, archived from the original on March 22, 2014</ref>

The modern Korean master [[Seung Sahn]] developed his own curriculum of multiple {{transliteration|ja|kōan}} in his [[Kwan Um School of Zen]], but this was a modern development unheard of in Korean Seon.<ref name="Lachs 2012" group="web" />