When the candle is lit, there is a flame. As the candle burns, there is still the same flame. So
there’s no difference between the beginning time and the later time of the candle burning. The candle burns straight down, and it never burns backward. The flame is neither new nor old. Neither is it the possession of the candle nor does it exist apart from the candle. The flame is like the light of the beginner’s mind. The candle, when it is flameless, is like the lack of vision of one who has not begun the way. The wisdom flame of the beginner’s mind is complete at the outset.
- Attributed to Dōgen