sermon
The True Person of No Rank
Record of Linji
Text
Linji ascended the hall and said: "On this lump of red flesh there sits a True Person of No Rank, constantly going in and out through the gates of your face. Those who have not yet recognized this—look, look!" A monk came forward and asked, "What is the True Person of No Rank?" Linji came down from his seat, grabbed the monk, and said, "Speak! Speak!" The monk hesitated. Linji pushed him away and said, "The True Person of No Rank—what a piece of dry excrement!" Then he returned to his quarters.
Attribution
By Linji Yixuan
From Record of Linji
Sources
Record of Linji: The True Person of No Rank