Zendo, play by forum

[ccexplore]

DIRIGIBLE has Buddha nature.

[Minim]

ccxplore said this was a slightly easier round, but at the moment he's lying. Looks like we're getting nowhere already. Let's try and remind ourselves all the ones that have a buddha nature already to see if we can get any closer. I've put them in alphabetical order.
AB
BLUE
CYAN
DIRIGIBLE
FORTRESS
GRANGE
GRAY
GREEN
INDIGO
MAROON
ORANGE
QUACK
QUICK
QUIT
SET
TURQUOISE
VIOLET
WHITE

I'll try a few more longer words
ESTABLISHMENT
HORRIFICALLY
UNDERNEATH
BEREAVEMENT
NEGOTIATIONABLE

[ccexplore]

ccxplore said this was a slightly easier round, but at the moment he's lying. Looks like we're getting nowhere already.

Yeah sorry, I suspected soon after I posted the initial koans that I probably misjudged the difficulty, but do not have a good way to simplify it without already affecting the initial koans. http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/embarrassed.gif" alt=":-[" title="Embarrassed" class="smiley" /> I guess if desired I can give a hint (in the form of koans) or we can just start a whole new round.

Anyway, your latest koans are all black (non-Buddha).

ESTABLISHMENT
HORRIFICALLY
UNDERNEATH
BEREAVEMENT
NEGOTIATIONABLE

To be fair, with the exception of Proxima's koans (and a pair of Clam's koans, perhaps somewhat by accident), so far it doesn't seem like people are being all that systematic with their koans.

[Proxima]

Let's try and remind ourselves all the ones that have a buddha nature already to see if we can get any closer. I've put them in alphabetical order.

For this kind of thing, it's as important to keep track of the ones that lack buddha-nature. Knowing that GRAY has buddha-nature doesn't tell us much by itself, but that GRAY does and GREY does not is much more significant.

"Fancy being more interesting in things that don't have buddha-nature than in things that do!" -- Achilles, in Gödel, Escher, Bach

AKAK
BEREAVEMENT
BLACK
C
ESTABLISHMENT
GOLD
GREY
GRIY
GROY
GRUE
GRUY
HORRIFICALLY
LIME
MAGENTA
NEGOTIATIONABLE
PINK
RED
TEAL
UNDERNEATH
YELLOW

* * *

Next set of guesses:

FRAY
GRAM
NEGOTIABLE
TALLOW
UNDERCITY

[ccexplore]

Buddha:
FRAY
GRAM

non-Buddha:
NEGOTIABLE
TALLOW
UNDERCITY

[Proxima]

FREY
FRY
GRY
TRAM
TRAY
TRY  http://www.lemmingsforums.com/Smileys/lemmings/winktounge.gif" alt=";P" title="Wink-Tongue" class="smiley" />

[Nepster]

YGRA
AYGR
GARY
NEGOTIABLEQ

[ccexplore]

Buddha:
TRY
YGRA
AYGR
GARY

non-Buddha:
FREY
FRY
GRY
TRAM
TRAY
NEGOTIABLEQ

----------------

I guess if desired I can give a hint (in the form of koans)

It occurred to me that in lieu of just me giving out koans for free (which isn't exactly how the game works), people can instead post guesses of the rule, even if it is obviously incorrect due to failing on already tried koans.  I would have discretion over what counterexample response to post, and for hinting purposes I can make the counterexample much more helpful/revealing than normal.  All of that would work completely within the rules of the game.

[Ramon]

FGSFDS

[Nepster]

GRBY
GRAAY
GRAYGRAY
GRAYGREY
GREYGREY

[Proxima]

It occurred to me that in lieu of just me giving out koans for free (which isn't exactly how the game works), people can instead post guesses of the rule, even if it is obviously incorrect due to failing on already tried koans.  I would have discretion over what counterexample response to post, and for hinting purposes I can make the counterexample much more helpful/revealing than normal.  All of that would work completely within the rules of the game.

Ah, but we can request a hint within the rules of the game: guess "A koan has the buddha-nature if and only if it is one of the following: {list of all known "white" koans}". But that's cumbersome to type out. So I think a shortcut should be formalised by adding a rule that the players can ask for a hint in the form of a new koan of the master's choice. Not that I'm doing that now; the latest sets of koans should provide a good amount of new information.

[ccexplore]

Buddha:
GRBY
GRAAY
GRAYGRAY
GRAYGREY

not Buddha:
FGSFDS
GREYGREY

[Proxima]

RAY
REY
RYE
RUBY

[ccexplore]

Buddha:
RAY
RUBY

not Buddha:
REY
RYE

[Nepster]

Three more koans:
QJRGLPFAB
ABZ
ABNS