Zhaozhou Examines the Hermit

Zhaozhou went to a hermit's cottage and asked, " Is the master in? Is the master in?" The hermit raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "The water is too shallow here for a ship to anchor," and left. He went to another hermit's cottage and again asked, "Is the master in? Is the master in?" This hermit also raised his fist. Zhaozhou said, "Freely you give, freely you take away. You are truly a master," and bowed respectfully.

Reflection

Zhaozhou visits two hermits; both raise their fists, but his responses differ radically. The first hermit's fist is dismissed; the second's is praised. The koan reveals that the same gesture can express either attachment or freedom, depending on the state of the one performing it. True Zen is not a fixed formula but a living response that arises from the depth of one's realisation.