The Stone Mind Zen Story
- Solien
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Today we enter… The Stone Mind. A koan that looks blunt and simple at first glance, yet cuts straight through one of the deepest illusions we carry: the belief that awakening is something to think our way into.
This one is quiet. Dry as dust. And sharp enough to split a lifetime of over-efforting. Come closer.
Let the Story Unfold
Hogen, a Zen master, was once approached by a monk.
What is the mind of the ancient Buddhas? the monk asked.
Hogen pointed to a stone.
The monk stared, confused.
I don’t understand, he said.
Hogen replied,
If you don’t understand, that is the stone.
Sit With the Meaning
This koan is not about stones. It is about conceptual rigidity. The monk came seeking a profound answer. He expected a teaching lofty enough to match the question.
Instead, he was given… a rock.
Why?
Because his mind was already reaching, grasping, elevating. Searching for spiritual fireworks.
Hogen answered by grounding him.
The stone is unmoving. Unadorned. Exactly what it is.
The monk’s confusion, his inability to receive something so plain, reveals his entanglement with expecting enlightenment to appear as something extraordinary.
Hogen’s point is mercilessly simple:
Your confusion is the mind of the Buddhas.
Your reaching is the barrier.
What you reject as “too ordinary”is exactly where you must look.
When you cannot see the stone, you cannot see your own mind.
Turn Inward With Your Parts
Is there a part of you that expects awakening to feel dramatic or special?
What happens inside when the truth appears simple, plain, or unadorned?
Which protector believes depth must be complex to be real or valuable?
Let Expression Rise
Choose the pathway that feels open:
IFS Journaling
Write from the part that resists simplicity.Let it speak about why “ordinary” feels threatening or disappointing.
IFS Parts Art
Draw the stone —not as an object,but as the emotional shape of what feels “too plain” inside you.Let its stillness reveal something about your system.
Somatic IFS
Sit with both feet on the floor.Let your breath settle toward the belly.Imagine your body growing slightly heavier, like a stone resting on the earth.Notice what arises when nothing needs to move, improve, or change.
If none of these feel right, simply sit with the koan. Let its plainness work on you.
Stay here with your parts as long as you like, and we’ll meet again in the next story.
Continue exploring the Zen Stories
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