“Bodhidharma had said repeatedly to Eka, I have nothing to teach, go away. But Eka was so convinced that Bodhidharma had some secret which he could convey to him, that at last as a token of sincerity he cut off one of his arms while standing outside the teacher’s hut in the freezing snow and presented it to the teacher, crying. My mind is not pacified. Master, pacify my mind. Bodhidharma says, if you bring me that mind, I will pacify it for you. Eka said, when I search for my mind, I cannot hold it. Bodhidharma said, then your mind is pacified already. It is said that at this moment Eka had a sudden insight into the whole mystery of life, the problem of peace of mind, and the essential meaning of Buddhism itself.”
— Alan Watts, The Gateless Gate
