Bondage

Case 19
Nan-ch'uan: "Ordinary Mind Is the Tao"

The case

Chao-chou asked Nan-ch'uan, "What is the Tao?"
Nan-ch'uan said, "Ordinary mind is the Tao."
Chao-chou asked, "Should I try to direct myself toward it?"
Nan-ch'uan said, "If you try to direct yourself you betray your own practice."
Chao-chou asked, "How can I know the Tao if I don't direct myself?"
Nan-ch'uan said, "The Tao is not subject to knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blankness. If you truly reach the genuine Tao, you will find it as vast and boundless as outer space. How can this be discussed at the level of affirmation and negation?"
With these words, Chao-chou had sudden realization.

The Gateless Barrier
Translated and with a Commentary by Robert Aitken