Yuanding's "Stone Woman Gives Birth"
A monk asked Zen master Yuanding, "
What is the meaning of 'the stone woman gives birth at night'?" Yuanding said,
"No place to lay your head." The monk said,
"What is the place where she gives birth?" Yuanding replied,
"Still wearing a straw raincoat."
Reflection
Yuanding's 'Stone Woman Gives Birth' uses impossible imagery to disrupt conceptual thinking about enlightenment. 'No place to lay your head' and 'Still wearing a straw raincoat' resist logical interpretation. The koan does not communicate a meaning; it creates a mental dead end where the mind must finally let go of seeking explanations.