Xuefeng's Turtle-Nosed Snake

Xuefeng was with his assembly. He pointed to a firebrand and said, " All of you, this is a firebrand. What is it when it is not a firebrand?" The assembly was silent. Xuefeng himself answered, "A turtle-nosed snake." He then asked, "Do any of you understand?"

Reflection

Xuefeng presents an object (a firebrand) and then asks what it is when it is not a firebrand. The question dismantles our reliance on fixed labels and categories. The assembly's silence reflects the mind's inability to conceive of things without names. Xuefeng's own answer, 'A turtle-nosed snake,' is a further disruption - an absurd label that underlines the arbitrariness of all naming.