Not The Wind, Not The Flag

Text

Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said: "The flag is moving." The other said: "The wind is moving." The sixth patriarch happened to be passing by. He told them: "Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving." Mumon’s comment: The sixth patriarch said: "The wind is not moving, the flag is not moving. Mind is moving." What did he mean? If you understand this intimately, you will see the two monks there trying to buy iron and gaining gold. The sixth patriarch could not bear to see those two dull heads, so he made such a bargain. Wind, flag, mind moves, The same understanding. When the mouth opens All are wrong.

tr. Nyogen Senzaki, Paul Reps, 1934

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Speaker
  Dajian Huineng
• Commentator
  Wumen Huikai

Lineage: Early Chan

By Dajian Huineng

• A Beardless Foreignerkoan
• Do Not Think Good, Do Not Think Not-Goodkoan
• Your Original Faceproverb
• It Is Your Mind That Movesproverb
• Platform Sutra: On Self-Naturesermon

From Mumonkan

• Every Season Is a Good Season
• Preface to the Gateless Barrier
• The Wild Fox Koan
• Joshu's DogCase 1
• Hyakujo's FoxCase 2
• Gutei's FingerCase 3
• A Beardless ForeignerCase 4
• Kyogen Mounts the TreeCase 5
• Buddha Twirls a FlowerCase 6
• Joshu Washes the BowlCase 7

Sources

• contentMumonkan (Gateless Barrier) — Senzaki & Reps translation, 1934

  Nyogen Senzaki, Paul Reps (trans.)

  Case 29, Mumonkan

  Mumonkan case 29: Not The Wind, Not The Flag