>"May I ask about the mind's fast?" > >"Center your attention," began Confucius. "Stop listening with your ears and listen with your mind. Then stop listening with your mind and listen with your primal spirit. Hearing is limited to the ear. Mind is limited to tallying things up. But the primal spirit's empty: it's simply that which awaits things. Way is emptiness merged, and emptiness is the mind's fast." > >"Before I begin my practice," said Yen Hui, "I am truly Yen Hui. But once I'm in the midst of my practice, I've never even begun to be Yen Hui. Can this be called emptiness?" > >"Yes, that's it exactly," replied Confucius.