A Nun Asks Zhaozhou About the Meaning

One day a nun asked Zhaozhou, "What is the meaning of the secret meaning?"

Zhaozhou made a gesture of pulling out something.

The nun said, "You Venerable still has this."

Zhaozhou said, "It is you who still have this."

Commentary

Some commentators say that Zhaozhou used a gesture to reveal the secret meaning that cannot be conveyed in words. In this view, the nun responds by saying, in effect, "You are attached to this 'secret meaning,' since even a gesture is unnecessary." Zhaozhou then responds, in this view, that the nun is attached to the concept of non-attachment.

As for me, I wonder about Zhaozhou's gesture. We've noted that in his other encounters with female students, he sometimes sexualized these interactions. 

Source: Women in Zen Buddhism

Photo by Smeerch