The Sound of Many Hands Clapping

Hakuin Ekaku (1686 –1769), a Japanese Zen monk living in the Shōin-ji temple in Kyoto, found enlightenment through meditating on a simple statement or ‘koan’ and through this practice became one of the central figures of Japanese Zen Buddhism. Hakuin was in his 40s by the time he became a Zen master and his path to enlightenment was fraught with self-doubt and questioning. He applied logic to stories that required mystic interpretation and despaired over tales that showed that even great monks could not escape bloody deaths. Ultimately his questioning led him to meditate on the things that should be obvious to us on surface value but whose true meanings are only revealed on introspection. A Zen koan is often misinterpreted in Western culture as a riddle or absurd statement but in Zen it can be defined as a question which enables one to find their true nature. Koan are also understood as a method to enable a free flow of thoughts in a way that led to an un-mediated "Pure Consciousness" or a state of being devoid of cognitive activity. Pure consciousness enables the ‘clear mind’ that is essential in attaining a state of enlightenment.

Whereas he composed many koan in his lifetime, the koan that Hakuin is most well-known for is: "Two hands clap and there is a sound, what is the sound of one hand?" There is no simple or single answer to this question. Where one assumes that perhaps the phrase relates to a certain sound or movement - they are wrong. Often the first response in a logical thought process is to fold your hand in half and attempt to make a sound. Yet the question is much deeper and requires the thinker to ponder beyond the basics. In Zen, the purpose of the koan is to meditate for years on such a statement and for a stream of thoughts to spring forth that help you to understand your existence. For the purposes of this article however, I’ll get to the point. The sound of a clap can only occur in the interaction between two hands and the sound of two hands clapping only has meaning when in the company of others. It evokes a contemplation on duality and nonduality. Nonduality (or nondualism) is a way of living life, whereby, in each moment, you feel your interconnectedness with everyone and everything around you. Interpreted in this sense, the koan provides an understanding of the importance of collaboration and community.

The famous industrial designer Charles Eames once said: “Eventually everything connects—people, ideas, objects… the quality of the connections is the key to quality per se… I don’t believe in this ‘gifted few’ concept, just in people doing things they are really interested in doing. They have a way of getting good at whatever it is.” As a School of Design, our greatest strength lies in our community of active collaborators. No matter the level of our individual skills, it is always amplified by our collective efforts. When we work together as a cohesive whole, we can achieve amazing outcomes. I have witnessed this over and over in this School and I have no doubt that we will continue to achieve all that we set out to achieve and more. The sound of many hands clapping is an almighty roar.