Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, “What is the way?”
Nanquan said, “Ordinary mind is the way.”
Zhaozhou asked, “Shall I try for that?”
Nanquan said, “If you try you’ll miss it.”
Zhaozhou asked, “How do I know it’s the way if I don’t try?”
Nanquan said, “The way has nothing to do with knowing or not knowing. Knowing is illusion;
not knowing is ignorance. If you penetrate the way of no-trying, it will be wide open – empty and vast.
What need is there to affirm this or deny it?”
Zhaozhou was suddenly enlightened upon hearing this.
- Mindfulness (handfulofrainbow.wordpress.com)
- Bodhi.Zazen: Zen Koans (bodhizazen.net)
- Ordinary Joy (offthemarkandroaming.wordpress.com)
Like this:
Like Loading...
The URI to TrackBack this entry is: http://nicholehastings.com/journal/selected-quotes/ordinary-mind-from-gateless-barrier-case-19/trackback/
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Leave a Reply
