Rinzai said, “Your minds and Mind do not differ” (The Record of Linji, p. 18).

A student asked, “What about the state where ‘mind and Mind do not differ?”

Rinzai replied, “The instant you ask the question they are already separate, and essence [Mind] differs from its manifestations [minds]” (p. 18).

Do you see? The instant you ask the question they must appear to be separate and thus may seem to you to differ. Therefore: stop it!

The essential point, in other words, is to come to the direct seeing where the question could not possibly arise.

Quite remarkably, Sri Ramana Maharshi says much the same thing. “Oh, student, you’re asking this speculative question. Go and find out what your True Self is and then see whether the question arises.”

The bad news is that you cannot think your way to Awakening. The good news is that you never had to.