What is the sound of one hand clapping?

Question

?

Answer 1

Silence?

Answer 2

Clap with half the force you use to normally clap - that's what it sounds like. If you alternate between left and right, you can produce a much more rapid clap as well. I keep hold my palm vertically and facing out (like taking an oath), let my fingers be loose and do a rapid up and down and a slight front to back motion. My fingers strike my palm and voila! My children think it's funny when I do it - David Letterman, here I come!

Answer 3

Hi, Alex,
The sound of a slap in the face!;D

Actually, the riddle is one of a number of Zen Buddhist riddles (they have a proper name, but it eludes me)... The idea is that there is no answer, and so in the attempt to find an answer you elevate your level of thinking to a higher plane...
>>>>
But most people tend to approach it logically, and say something along the lines of "Well, half the sound of two hands clapping, obviously".... Another western approach is to rapidly clench and unclench one fist so that the fingers smack against the palm, thereby "clapping"...
>>>>>

My regards!

Answer 4

The Sound of One Hand


The master of Kennin temple was Mokurai, Silent Thunder. He had a little protege named Toyo who was only twelve years old. Toyo saw the older diciples visit the master's room each morning and evening to receive instruction on sanzen or personal guidance in which they were given koans to stop mind-wandering.

Toyo wished to do sanzen also.

"Wait a while," said Mokurai. "You are too young."

But the child insisted, so the teacher finally consented.

In the evening little Toyo went at the proper time to the threshold of Mokurai's sanzen room. He struck the gong to announce his presence, bowed respectfully three times outside the door, and went to sit before the master in respectful silence.

"You can hear the sound of two hands when they clap together," said Mokurai. "Now show me the sound of one hand."

Toyo bowed and went to his room to consider this problem. From his window he could hear the music of the geishas. "Ah, I have it!" he proclaimed.

The next evening, when his teacher asked him to illustrate the sound of one hand, Toyo began to play the music of the geishas.

"No, no," said Mokurai. "That will never do. That is not the sound of one hand. You've not got it at all."

Thinking that such music might interrupt, Toyo moved his abode to a quiet place. He meditated again. "What can be the sound of one hand be?" He happened to hear some water dripping. "I have it," imagined Toyo.

When he next appeared before his teacher, Toyo imitated the dripping water.

"What is that?" asked Moturai. "That is the sound of dripping water, but not the sound of one hand. Try again."

In vain Toyo meditated to hear the sound of one hand. He heard the sighing of the wind. But the sound was rejected.

He heard the cry of an owl. This was also refused.

The sound of one hand was not the locusts.

For more than ten times Toyo visited Mokurai with different sounds. All were wrong. For almost a year he pondered what the sound of one hand might be.

At last little Toyo entered true meditation and transcended all sounds. "I could collect no more." he explained later, "so I reached the soundless sound."

Toyo had realized the sound of one hand.

Answer 5

One hand can't clap, unless it is hitting something else like your leg for example. Then it makes a sound. Otherwise all you would hear is your hand swooshing through the air. Now, if there is no ear to capture the sound waves then there is no sound.

Answer 6

Doing it.

Xan Shui,
Philosophic Philanthropist, Honest Man

Answer 7

shake your hand fast but keep it loose, your fingers will slap into your palm and that is the noise it makes when clapping one handed... i am not sure if i can do it (dont feel like shaking my hand like a spaz) but i have seen others do it before

Answer 8

You can like, close your hand really fast and it kind of claps.

Answer 9

Almost sounds like when making love. Wave bye bye folding your hand hard. Yes ! lol

Answer 10

The whoosh of your hand through the air.