it helps if you put the metadata in the right place. also make mediate-on a macro so that I could get at the metadata from the actual test

koans/about-asserts.clj

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
-(defn test-truth
-  #^{:zen "We shall contemplate truth by testing reality, via asserts."}
+(defn #^{:zen "We shall contemplate truth by testing reality, via asserts."}
+  test-truth
   []
   (assert false)) ;; This should be true
 
-(defn test-assert-equality
-  #^{:zen "To understand reality, we must compare our expectations against reality."}
+(defn #^{:zen "To understand reality, we must compare our expectations against reality."}
+  test-assert-equality
   []
   (let [expected-value 0
         actual-value (+ 1 1)]

koans/path_to_enlightenment.clj

@@ -1,12 +1,14 @@
 (load "about-asserts")
 
-(defn meditate-on
+(defmacro meditate-on
   "Runs tests but exits if an assertion fails"
-  [test]
-  (try
-   (test)
-   (catch Throwable t
-     (println (str "Metadata zen\n" "test name failed"))
+  [test-function]
+  `(try
+   (~test-function)
+   (catch Throwable t#
+     (println (str (:zen (meta #'~test-function)) "\n"
+                   (:name (meta #'~test-function))
+                   " returned " t#))
      (System/exit 1))))
 
 (meditate-on test-truth)