Sometimes, even today, I'll be driving along on a trip looking at the world in silence, and suddenly an old koan that I heard twenty years ago will pop into my head and I'll see the answer for the first time. To some degree this illustrates the difference between living the life of a monk and that of a businessperson.
If I were drawn to meditate all day, I'm sure that there would be very few "uncracked" koans left on my plate. As it is, I lead a very busy life, and I have dozens of interests, all of which I find enjoyable. Consequently, I rarely spend any time contemplating koans. Nevertheless, every koan that I've encountered that remains unanswered is still percolating in the system, so to speak, and every now and then one will pop to the surface. I always get a big laugh when one surfaces, and the obvious becomes obvious. LOL
If I were drawn to meditate all day, I'm sure that there would be very few "uncracked" koans left on my plate. As it is, I lead a very busy life, and I have dozens of interests, all of which I find enjoyable. Consequently, I rarely spend any time contemplating koans. Nevertheless, every koan that I've encountered that remains unanswered is still percolating in the system, so to speak, and every now and then one will pop to the surface. I always get a big laugh when one surfaces, and the obvious becomes obvious. LOL
