Seek Nothing Outside
Racing outward in search, you lose the very mind that was yours from the start.
That thing I searched for so hard outside — was it not already within me all along?
📝Reflection
Linji said that the very mind racing outward in search is where the losing begins. We always seek happiness, approval, answers somewhere outside: a better job, more likes, a more authoritative teacher. The harder we run, the more the original mind that could recognize the answer grows clouded. There is no mirror outside. The mirror is within. Linji does not mean to stop out of laziness. He means: before you race off, look inward once. Nothing exhausts us like wandering outside in ignorance of what we already hold.
🌱Apply It Today
Just before you search, buy, or ask someone for an answer today, pause 30 seconds and ask: "Do I not already know the answer?"
This verse is read as universal humanistic wisdom, not religion — no faith is promoted, and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
