A mondō (問答; Chinese: wèndá) is a recorded collection of dialogues between a pupil and a Zen Buddhist master.[1][2] Zen tradition values direct experience and communication over scriptures. Some rōshis (Zen teachers), go so far as to instruct their pupils to tear up their scriptures. However, sometimes the mondō acts as a guide on the method of instruction.[citation needed]
One example of a non-Buddhist mondō is the Sokuratesu-no-mondō, the Japanese translation of the Socratic method, whereby Socrates asked his students questions to elicit the innate truth from assumed facts.
References
- ^ Foulk, T. Griffith (2008). “Ritual in Japanese Zen Buddhism”. In Heine, Steven; Wright, Dale S. (eds.). Zen Ritual: Studies of Zen Buddhist Theory in Practice. Oxford University Press. p. 25. ISBN 9780195304688.
- ^ Zhiru, Shi (2010). “Scriptural Authority: A Buddhist Perspective”. Buddhist-Christian Studies. 30: 104. doi:10.1353/bcs.2010.0009. Retrieved March 29, 2026.
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