Teisho presented by Arno Hess on 16/03/2025 at the Pathway Zen Zenkai at Spring Hill, QLD, Australia.
Case
The wind was flapping a temple flag, and two monks were having an argument about it. One
said, “The flag is moving.” The other said, “The wind is moving.” They argued back and forth
but could not reach the truth. The sixth patriarch said, “It is not the wind that moves. It is
not the flag that moves. It is your mind that moves.” The two monks were struck with awe.
Mumon’s Commentary
It is not the wind that moves; it is not the flag that moves; it is not the mind that moves.
Where do you see the essence of the patriarch? If you have a close grasp of the matter, you
will see how the two monks, intending to buy iron, got gold, and that the patriarch
impatiently said a failure on the spot.
Verse
The wind moves, the flag moves, the mind moves;
All have missed it.
One only knows how to open one’s mouth,
And does not know that one’s words have failed.
