Yangshan's "No Such Thing as Mind"
Yangshan was studying under Guishan. He asked,
"
What is the true abode of the Buddha?" Guishan replied,
"To think the non-thinking through subtle reflection." Yangshan asked,
"How does one think the non-thinking?" Guishan said,
"It is not-thinking." Yangshan was enlightened.
Later, he said to his assembly, "I was at Guishan's place and received his instruction, enabling me to penetrate the mystery.
Now I ask you all: What did Guishan say to me?" A monk stepped forward and began to speak.
Yangshan interrupted, "There is no such thing as mind. Do not slander the great compassion."
Reflection
Yangshan's enlightened response after Guishan's instruction leads him to declare, 'There is no such thing as mind.' The monk who steps forward to answer is stopped immediately because truth cannot be formulated. The koan emphasizes that ultimate reality is prior to any concept, including 'mind' or 'no-mind.' To speak of mind is already to have missed it.