Shundo David Haye

The Great Master Wuji of Shitou was once asked by a monk, “What is the intention of the ancestral master’s coming from the west?”
The master said, “Ask the columns.”
The monk said, “I don’t understand.” 
The master said, “I don’t understand either.” 

The question is the standard one. How is it that we can keep finding a fresh response? Do we need to understand anything?