I don't even like to say that there are only appearances or only thingness. I prefer to say, "Would you like a cup of coffee?"
This is why Zen Master Seung Sahn used to say to his students, "Put it all down!" He also used to present this koan:
I've dropped a fishing line to catch a golden fish. How can you avoid getting caught? No matter what a student would answer, ZMSS would reply, "Ah, caught another one!"![](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/scMhODUr0A9tt0StxLZtkI554r7cqs2w4pgKlj2tDu8p2vSIGWAav4X8Hv4zzRQUANe4jPvpnX_Kar808bJZj1vm2cW4bvvFaIpbMoOZuTGYeaOpTb2G)
This is why Zen Master Seung Sahn used to say to his students, "Put it all down!" He also used to present this koan:
I've dropped a fishing line to catch a golden fish. How can you avoid getting caught? No matter what a student would answer, ZMSS would reply, "Ah, caught another one!"