Zen & Buddhism

Original Face Before Birth

What were you before your parents were born?

Show me your original face before your parents were born. This koan points to the timeless awareness that precedes all experience. Before name, before form, before thought - what are you? THIS is your original face.

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  • What Zen says about death

    A koan: show me your face before your parents were born. It is not answered with a sentence, it is worked on for a long time.