so the koan is a way to dig down through the layers of confusion to have insight into a deep truth. if you read about go on, they sound nonsensical. people often read about the call on, what is the sound of one hand clapping. that's actually a very deep inquiry into sound, first of all, and then into deep listening. with all tranninety how to parse them of the afterward so it becomes what is the sound of one hand, or what is the sound of one, or what is the sound. so the teacher will help the student we find the essence of what the question is, and then guide them into learning so you begin to listen to all of the sounds of the world without listening to them. listen to them as if you never heard them before. it leads people to some very interesting insights. so again, it's that theme of teaching as if drawing out from people what blatantly as our to been there. one of the things that was really special to me doing this book, this is a bit of a personal confession, is i came of age in the '60s, and part of that, of course, was having great hope. but another part of that was having d