Not the Wind, Not the Flag
Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said: `The flag is moving.'
The other said: `The wind is moving.'
The sixth patriarch happened to be passing by. He told them: `Not the
wind, not the flag; mind is moving.'
Mumon's Comment: The sixth patriarch said: `The wind is not moving, the flag is not
moving. Mind is moving.' What did he mean? If you understand this
intimately, you will see the two monks there
trying to buy iron and gaining gold. The sixth patriarch could not
bear to see those two dull heads, so he made such a bargain.
Wind, flag, mind moves.
The same understanding.
When the mouth opens
All are wrong.
A Zen koan from the classic collection The Gateless Gate.
Original transcription by Ben Walter and Adam Fuller of
iBiblio.
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