“A student spoke up in the assembly at one of the centers of Korean Son/Zen master Seung Sahn, saying,
“It seems that in Christianity God is outside me, whereas in Zen God is inside me, so God and I are one, correct?”
Soen-sa said, “Where is inside? Where is outside?”
Said the student: “Inside is in here; outside is out there.”
Asked Soen-sa: “How can you separate?
Where is the boundary line?”
“I’m inside my skin, and the world is outside it.”
Soen-sa then said, “This is your body’s skin.
Where is your mind’s skin?”
“Mind has no skin.”
“Then where is your mind?”
“Inside my head,” said the student.
“Ah, your mind is very small. (Laughter all around.)
You must keep your mind BIG. Then you will understand that God, Buddha, and the whole universe fit into this BIG MIND.”
Then, holding up his watch, Soen-sa said, “Is this watch outside your mind or inside it?”
“Outside,” said the student.
Soen-sa replied in his usual playful fashion: “If you say ‘outside,’ I will hit you thirty times.
If you say ‘inside,” I will hit you thirty times.”
… After a silence, Soen-sa continued: “Don’t make inside or outside. Okay?””