The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1304 page)

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Authors: John Bowker

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), assembled by Wan-sung Hsing-hsiu (1166–1246). It was followed (1229) by the
Wu-men-kuan
(Jap.,
Mumonkan
), edited by Wu-men Hui-k'ai (1183–1260). About 1,700 k

ans survive, of which about 600 are in active use.
In Rinzai, five types of k

an are identified:

(i)
hosshin-k
an
, to create awareness of identity with buddha-nature (
bussho
);
(ii)
kikan-k
an
, to create ability nevertheless to discern distinctions within non-distinction;
(iii)
gonsen-k
an
, creating awareness of the deep meaning of the sayings of the masters;
(iv)
nant
-k
an
, grappling with the hardest to solve;
(v)
go-i-k
an
: when the other four have been worked through, the insight gained is tested once more