The monk asked, “Zen masters these days give a koan to their disciples. This makes students study words, doesn’t it?”

The Master answered, “No, it doesn’t. Yuan-wu said, ‘Students who have just started Zen practice have no idea about it. So out of compassion, the masters give them a koan as a signpost, so that the disciples can devote themselves to discovering oneness, dispelling random illusions, and to realizing finally that Original Mind is not something that comes from outside.