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Kenshō (見性), literally "seeing the nature", is a religious experience of enlightenment described in the context of Zen Buddhism. The term is often used to denote an initial awakening experience, seeing one's True-Nature or Buddha-Nature, that can be enlarged and clarified through further practice in daily life.
The Kensho experience
The direct experiancing of that which is Unborn, Undying, Uncreated, Unchanging. The Eternal Flow/Flux. One forever Knows afterwards, with the whole of ones being, that one was not, is not, and forever will not be separate from the Whole of the Universe. See Also Zen Is Eternal Life. By Rev. P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett. M.O.B.C.
Seeking kensho
Working towards this realisation is usually a lengthy process of meditation and introspection under guidance of a Zen or other Buddhist teacher, usually in intensive sesshin retreats.
However, Kensho may also be spontaneous, upon hearing or reading some significant phrase, or as result of a profound dream. For example, Zen lore describes the Sixth Patriarch Hui Neng's spontaneous experience of kensho upon hearing a phrase of the Diamond sutra.
Koans are often used as meditation aids, (particularly in the Rinzai tradition). For example, one koan is known as: 'Who am I', since it is this question that guides the enquiry into one's true nature. The realization that there is no 'I' that is doing the thinking, but rather that the thinking process brings forth the illusion of an 'I', is a step on the way to Kensho.
It is not unusual for various hallucinations and psychological disturbances to arise prior to true kensho, these are referred to as makyo. Distinguishing these delusions from actual kensho is the primary function of the teacher, as the student may be erroneously convinced they have realized kensho.