Summary: Talk given by Ted O'Toole. Chao-chou asked Nan-ch'uan, "What is the Tao?" Nan'ch'uan said, "Ordinary mind is the Tao." Chao-chou asked, "Should I direct myself toward it?" Nan-ch'uan said, "If you try to direct yourself you betray your own practice." Chao-chou asked, "How can I know the Tao if I don't direct myself?" Nan-ch'uan said, "The Tao is not subject to knowing or not knowing. Knowing is delusion; not knowing is blankness. If you truly reach the genuine Tao, you will find it is as vast and boundless as outer space. How can this be discusssed at the level of affirmation and negation?" With these words, Chao-chou had sudden realization.
