CASE 66: Kyûhô’s "Head and Tail"

A monk asked Kyûhô, “What is the head?”

Kyûhô said, “Opening the eyes and not perceiving the dawn.”

The monk said, “What is the tail?”

Kyûhô said, “Not sitting on a ten-thousand-year-old sitting place.”

The monk said, “What if there is a head, but no tail?”

Kyûhô said, “After all, it is not valuable.”

The monk said, “What if there is a tail, but no head?”

Kyûhô said, “Being complacent, yet having no power.”

The monk said, “What if the head matches the tail?”

Kyûhô said, “The descendants will prosper, but it is not known in the room.”