It may seem strange that Yunmen would come up with something as unclean as a
dry shit-stick, which anyone would hesitate even to mention, in response to a question
about the Buddha. ... That is because, after a thorough-going great enlightenment, all things in their
entirety, just as they are, are the Buddha’s form [essence]. Accordingly, it is in no-mind
(mushin) that for the first time a dry shit-stick can be accepted, just as it is, as the
Buddha. It is only when one has identified oneself in a most thorough-going way with
Yunmen’s kanshiketsu that one is able to discover, apart from the contrast of purity and
impunity, its Buddha-light. That is why Yunmen instructed the monk as he did. Penetrate
kanshiketsu and for the first time you will be able to grasp Yunmen’s state of mind.