Shogen's Three Statements

Shogen asked, "Why does the enlightened man not stand on his feet and explain himself?" He also said, "It is not necessary for speech to come from the tongue." And he added, "Why can the enlightened man not cut away the entanglements round his feet?"

Why doesn't the enlightened man explain Zen? The truth of the universe, the truth of life, cannot be explained - even by an enlightened one. If one wishes to know what it is, he must realise it by himself. Why does not speech necessarily come from the tongue? Oratory need not be technique, quality of voice, or beauty of words. It can be the shout of life itself. Why can the enlightened man not walk freely? If he is attached, even to enlightenment, he is hobbled.