How do we explain the unexplainable? This question has inspired numerous myths, religious practices and scientific inquiries. But Zen Buddhists practicing throughout China from the 9th to 13th century asked a different question – why do we need an explanation? Puqun Li details the bewildering and ambiguous philosophical thought experiments these Buddhists called Zen kōans. [TED-Ed Animation by Cabong Studios]

Puqun Li: Zen kōans: unsolvable enigmas designed to break your brain

Zen kōans: unsolvable enigmas designed to break your brain

Zen koans, with 1,700 bewildering thought experiments, served as tools for monks to embrace life's mysteries for enlightenment.

A kōan about monks debating a flag's movement challenges us to see beyond binary thinking, towards a broader understanding.

Struggling with kōans isn't about finding answers but challenging our desire for resolution and redefining understanding itself.