In Zendo one player is the Master and the other players are Students. I will start as the first Master. The Master comes up with a rule to define smiley koans that have the Buddha nature. Then the master provides an example smiley koan that has the Buddha and an example that does not.
For example if the Master chose the rule: "A koan has the Buddha nature if it contains exactly one unmentionable." They might start with the example Koans:
Koans with the Buddha nature
Koans without the Buddha nature
Then students ask the master if certain koans have the Buddha nature by posting them like so:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Student
Master:
The Master responds with a or to indicate whether the koan has the Buddha nature or not. The Master should also update and repost the tables so that we can easily see the lists of koans.
A Student should only propose a single koan at a time. They should wait until at least one other Student has proposed a koan before they propose another.
When a Student thinks that they know the rule they make a guess of the rule in spoilers like so:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Student
Guess:
A koan has the Buddha nature if it contains an unmentionable.
If the Student's guess is correct, that Student then becomes the Master and they begin the next round with a new rule. If the guess is incorrect the Master must provide a koan counter-example that shows the rule to be false. Like so:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Master
Quote:
Originally Posted by Student
Guess:
A koan has the Buddha nature if it contains an unmentionable.
does not have the Buddha nature.
A Student who guesses incorrectly cannot guess again until there is a new Master, or until two other Students guess incorrectly.
Notes:
"A koan has the Buddha nature if..." can be abbreviated "AKHTBNI" in your guess.
The null koan (a koan with no smileys) can be proposed by posing "Master: null".
It is advised that a Master write his rule down somewhere as the exact wording may be important.