22 Apr Koan 59

How do you square a circle?

Using only a compass and a straightedge, it’s impossible to square a circle — to construct a square with the same area as a given circle.

The space inside a circle is the product of multiplying the squared radius of the circle and π (pi)

π is a transcendental number; an infinite, non-repeating decimal expansion. That means the knowable space inside a circle is imprecise.

The space inside a square is precise.

As an imprecise space cannot precisely fill a precise space, a circle cannot be squared.

Transcendental numbers arise naturally in exponential growth and decay processes. They are used extensively in calculus, probability, and mathematical analysis.

Transcendental is also the nature of the universe; infinite expansion and everchanging.

The mind views the universe as a square, using words and thoughts to describe the universe in terms discrete and static. Yet, the universe is like the transcendental space in a circle; it cannot be precisely known.