虛堂和尚語錄 9.73

9.73

At midsummer, ascending the hall, he brought up: "Zhaozhou asked Nanquan, 'What is the Way?' Nanquan said, 'The ordinary mind is the Way.' Zhaozhou said, 'Should one direct oneself toward it or not?' Nanquan said, 'To intend toward it is to deviate.' Zhaozhou said, 'Without intending, how can one know it is the Way?' Nanquan said, 'The Way does not belong to knowing, nor does it belong to not knowing. Knowing is false awareness; not knowing is neutral unawareness. If you truly reach the Way that is free of doubt, it is open and clear like great space—how can you arbitrarily assert right and wrong?' Zhaozhou bowed."
The Master commented, "Of the ninety days of the single summer, forty-five days have already passed. Are these words from before the forty-five days, or after the forty-five days? If they are words from before the forty-five days, a scorched brick struck by something is frozen right to the bottom; if they are words from after the forty-five days, this old monk cannot help but speak, yet if I do not speak, I fear everyone will harbor doubts. I will trouble the staff to distinguish it carefully." He struck with his staff: "Single, split, alternating, repeated."