Mumonkan

CASE 18. TOZAN'S THREE POUNDS OF FLAX A monk asked Tozan, "What is the Buddha?" Tozan answered, "Three pounds of flax!" Mumon's Comment: Tozan's Zen is like a clam. When the two halves of the shell open, you can see the whole inside. However, now tell me, "What is Tozan's real insides?" Just "Three pounds of flax!" pops up, His words are close, and yet his heart is closer. Anyone who explains this or that, yes and no, is himself the man of yes and no.