Shuzan held out his short staff and said: "If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. Now what do you wish to call this?"
- Mumon’s comment: If you call this a short staff, you oppose its reality. If you do not call it a short staff, you ignore the fact. It cannot be expressed with words and it cannot be expressed without words. Now say quickly what it is.
- Holding out the short staff,
- He gave an order of life or death.
- Positive and negative interwoven,
- Even Buddhas and patriarchs cannot escape this attack.