Teachings of Master Huang Po

The Mind is neither large nor small; it is located neither within nor without. It should not be thought about by the mind nor be discussed by the mouth. Ordinarily, it is said that we use the Mind to transmit the Mind, or that we use the Mind to seal the Mind. Actually, however, in transmitting the Mind, there is really no Mind to receive or obtain; and in sealing the Mind, there is really no Mind to seal. If this is the case,
then does the Mind exist or does it not exist? Actually, it cannot be said with certainty that the Mind either exists or does not exist, for it is Absolute Reality. This is expressed in the Ch'an Sect by the maxim: "If you open your mouth, you are wrong. If you give rise to a single thought, you are in error." So, if you can quiet your thinking totally, all that remains is emptieness and stillness.

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'Supreme Way'

Hekiganroku - Case 2: Joshu's "Supreme Way"

Joshu, instructing the assembly, said, 
  "The supreme Way is not difficult; it simply dislikes choosing [1]. But even if a word is uttered, it is already an action of 'choosing' or of adhering to 'clarity'. This old monk [2] doesn't dwell in clarity. Do you monks want to keep a firm hold 'clarity' or not?"
At that time a monk asked,
  "You say you do not dwell in clarity. If so, what is there to keep a firm hold on?"
Joshu said,
  "I don't know, either."
The monk said,
  "If you, Master, don't know, why do you say that you don't dwell in clarity?"
Joshu said,
  "You have already asked amply. Bow and withdraw."

[1]: Cf. the beginning of the Shinjinmei (Believing in the Mind; Poem composed
     by the third Patriarch Sosan):
        "The supremet Way is not difficult;
         it simply dislikes choosing.
         Only if there is no love or hatred,
         all is complete clarity."
           
[2]: "this old monk" i.e. "I"

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Essence

Case 32: Jo and the "Essence of Buddhism"

A senior monk Jo asked Rinzai, "What is the essence of Buddhism?"
Rinzai came down from his seat, grabbed him by the lapels, slapped him and
thrust him away.  Jo stood there as if rooted to the spot. 
A monk standing nearby said, "Senior monk Jo! Why don't you make a deep bow?" 
As he made a deep bow, Jo suddenly attained a great enlightenment.

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Hekiganroku - Kyosei and the Raindrops

Hekiganroku - Case 46: 

Kyosei asked a monk,
  "What is that sound outside?"
The monk said,
  "That is the sound of raindrops." 
Kyosei said, 
  "People live in a topsy-turvy world. They lose themselves in delusion about
   themselves and only pursue [outside] objects."
The monk said,
  "What about you, Master?"
Kyosei said,
  "I was on the brink of losing myself in such delusions about myself."
The monk said,
  "What do you mean, 'on the brink of losing myself in such delusions
   about myself'?"
Kyosei said,
  "To break through [into the world of Essence] may be easy. But to express
   fully the bare substance is difficult."

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