What gives?

A monk asked master Shuilu, “What should a student apply his mind to?”

Shuilu said, “To apply the mind is to miss.”

The monk said, “How is it when not arousing a single thought?”

Shuilu said, “A useless fellow.”

The monk said, “How is this thing preserved?”

Shuilu said, “Beware.”

The monk asked, “When meeting on a narrow road, what then?”

Shuilu grabbed him by the chest and gave him a shove.

And

​Master Shexian Sheng said to an assembly, ​Bodhidharma’s coming from the West was to communicate to the East direct pointing to the human mind to see its essence and become enlightened, standing out alone in the midst of myriad forms, teaching outside of things. Those who realize it are not obstructed in the slightest. Those who miss it turn their backs on awareness and get mixed up in sense objects; these are people of mediocre and lesser potential. You must be thorough; don’t waste time.

Note: Shuilu says that to apply the mind is to miss and that stopping thoughts produces a useless fellow. Yet Shexian says you must be thorough and not waste time. That sounds like applying the mind to me. Or maybe he means be thorough in not applying the mind? But wouldn't that be applying the mind? Both of these come from Dahui's Shobogenzo.

Submitted December 29, 2017 at 12:24AM by koancomentator http://ift.tt/2Cln6Kt