This week’s resolution is to Meditate on koans. A “koan” is a question, story, or statement that can’t be understood logically. Zen Buddhist monks meditate on koans as a way to abandon dependence on reason in their pursuit of enlightenment. Even if you’re not seeking satori (or, I should probably say, you’re not seeking it), I’ve found that thinking about a koan stimulates mindfulness. Because koans force me to challenge the usual, straightforward boxes of meaning, they push me to think about thinking.

If you want to read more about this resolution, check out…
The extraordinary happiness of completing a project: Four to Llewelyn’s Edge.

A propos of Buddhism, I make the following observation: it’s continually surprising to me that Buddhism, with its emphasis on gateless gates and transcending the bounds of rational thinking, has so many numbered lists! I love them, but still, it seems incongruous. There’s a koan to be written about it, that’s for sure. Let’s see…how about, “Use numbers to throw away enumeration.”

From 2006 through 2014, as she wrote The Happiness Project and Happier at Home, Gretchen chronicled her thoughts, observations, and discoveries on The Happiness Project Blog.