It is not the wind, not the flag, not the mind

The Reading:

THE COMMENTARY


It is not the wind that moves, it is not the flag that moves, it is not the mind that moves.  How shall we understand the Patriarch?  If you have a close grasp of the meaning, you will see how the two monks, intending to buy iron, got gold.  The Patriarch could not repress his compassion, and so we have this disgraceful scene.


THE VERSE


The wind moves, the flag moves, the mind moves,-
All confirmed as guilty of error.
We know we  open our mouths,
But we don't know we go all wrong.

-Mumon

Mumonkan, R.H. Blyth

Discussion:

It cannot be any clearer.  There are no words or sentences which express Zen.  There is are no teachers of Zen.  There is no flag, no mind, no Patriarch.  

Mumon is pointing the way when he tells us that "all are confirmed as guilty of error."  Mumon is pointing to the errors of all those who teach Zen, and further, Mumon is reminding us that we cannot help but open our mouths and commit errors, even if we are Patriarchs, because to talk about Zen is to talk about something other than Zen.

Go forth!  Accept no doctrine!  Teach nothing!