Huike's Arm
Huike came to Bodhidharma and said,
"
My mind is not at peace.
Please pacify it." Bodhidharma replied,
"Bring me your mind, and I will pacify it." After a long search, Huike said,
"I cannot find it." Bodhidharma said,
"There, I have pacified it for you."
Reflection
Huike's search for his mind at Bodhidharma's instruction leads to the discovery that the mind cannot be located. 'I cannot find it' is not a failure but the answer itself. Bodhidharma's 'I have pacified it for you' is the punchline: the mind that was seeking peace was never actually troubled – it only thought it was. The seeker and the sought are one.