Hi, it's Sim here. Welcome to Radio Headspace and to Wednesday.

So a dear friend of mine introduced me to Coons a while ago, and I have loved working

with them ever since. If you've never heard of Coons, their questions or statements meant

to elicit thoughts, feelings and beliefs. Their questions not meant to be answered, at least

not definitively. Instead, we focus on how we relate to those questions, inviting curiosity

and openness and letting go of certainty.

Coons allow you to peel back layers of meaning that unfolds slowly over time. One example

of a well-known Coon is, what is the sound of one hand clapping?

Joan Sutherland, a Buddhist scholar, recently wrote a book on Coons called, Through Forests

of Every Color, Awakening with Coons. In it, she offers new translations of these familiar

phrases. For example, she re-imagines what is the sound of one hand clapping as, one pair

of hands makes a sound. Hear that sound. Instead of a puzzling riddle to be solved, the

new interpretation offers a question that we're invited to explore. It's natural for us to be

drawn to riddles as our brain gets a dopamine hit when we solve puzzles. The certainty of

one true answer is satisfying, and we can put it to rest once it's solved. Coons can be

frustrating as they offer no promise of a resolution, only a gateway to more introspection.

Contemplating the sounds of hands may inspire you to notice your own hands and others' hands

and everything that hands can do. What is the sound of a tender embrace? What is the sound

of a clenched fist? Of a thumbs up? Each of these gestures carries a strong message, and

this question may inspire you to communicate more gently, or be more perceptive of others'

body language. The beauty of Coons is that they come alive through the lens of each unique

individual, and they evolve over time. What you see in a Coon today may be very different

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