Zen Has No Realms, Yet It Exists in All Realms

A monk asked Zhaozhou: "How does one practice Chan and attain enlightenment?" The centenarian Zhaozhou, as if pressed by urgent matters, said: "I beg your pardon, I cannot tell you now, for I have urgent personal needs." So saying, Zhaozhou walked out, but suddenly stopped and said to the monk: "Though I am old and revered as an ancient Buddha, even this trivial matter of personal urgency requires me to attend to it personally—I cannot delegate it to another." Upon hearing this, the monk experienced great awakening.

When the monk inquired about practicing Chan and attaining enlightenment, the venerable Zhaozhou immediately manifested Chan directly, showing the monk where to enter awakening and where the eighth consciousness resides. As soon as the monk finished speaking, Zhaozhou began to vividly manifest the appearance of Chan, revealing everywhere where Chan is and how it functions. From this, we should understand who accomplishes all matters great and small within worldly phenomena—who does what, and how it is done. We should also realize that all phenomena are indeed illusory and unreal, like a dream. Upon hearing this, the wise awaken instantly—why speak of Chan as a state? What state does Chan possess? Chan is not a state, yet within all states, Chan is truly present and inseparable from them, thereby giving rise to states.

Nanquan often vividly manifested the eighth consciousness; otherwise, he would not have been able to cut the cat in two. Even after Zhaozhou heard of Nanquan cutting the cat, he took off his sandals, placed them atop his head, and walked out—this too was a vivid manifestation. Seeing this, Nanquan greatly praised him, saying: "Had you been present, you would have cut the cat on my behalf to demonstrate the principle, sparing me the need to do so."