Member-only story
How to Know What’s What
Hint: If you’re thinking about it, you already know how to know
Two monks discussed what they saw above the Buddhist temple.
One said: The flag is moving.
The other said: The wind is moving.
They argued. Along came the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, who said they were both wrong: It’s your minds that are moving.
It’s an old story. You can find it as Entry 29 in Chan Zong Wumen Guan, often translated as The Gateless Gate. The text was compiled by Wumen Huikai in the 13th century.
I came across that story again today, and then I remembered today’s facile yet relentless “debates” about how to categorize other people.
Two people spot their neighbor in the distance. They argue about the neighbor.
One says: Our neighbor is Type A, based on physical evidence. They’re behaving in ways associated with Type B—but they’re really Type A.
The other: Our neighbor is Type B, based on their behavior. Physical evidence would suggest they’re Type A—but they’re really Type B.
Do you know where Type A and Type B can be found?
The minds of the people who make and apply those categories.
