Shundo David Haye – Zen Priest

‘One day, five people newly arrived and came to see Huangbo together. Four of them bowed. One did not bow, but drew a circle with his hand and stood there.

The master said, “Do you know a good hunting dog?”

The monk said, “He seeks the antelope’s scent.”
The master said, “If the antelope has no scent, where does he seek it?”
The monk said, “He seeks the antelope’s tracks.”

The master said, “If the antelope has no track, where does he seek it?”
He said, “That’s a dead antelope.”
The master desisted.
The next day, as he was retiring from his lecture, he called out the monk he had asked about seeking the antelope. The monk came out.

The master said, “Since yesterday, this old monk has had no words. How about it?”

The monk had no words.

The master said, “He was supposed to be a patch-robed monk of true colors, but from the beginning he was a “śramaṇa who studies doctrine.”’

Perhaps Huangbo was being a little harsh, or not wanting the monk to get ahead of himself. How do you look for something that can’t be found?