‘You can’t attain it this way. You can’t attain it not this way. Trying to attain it this way or not this way, it can’t be attained. So what will you do?’ (Zen’s Chinese Heritage)

Sekito was saying this to get his student Yakusan to let go of clinging. Yakusan went to Master Ma, who set out the options in much the same way, but the second hearing of it broke through Yakusan’s block. Whatever we want to hold onto is not it.