The second "outer path" anecdote also involves disciples of Hui-neng. When Shih-t'ou Hsi-ch'ien (700-790) was a young monk, he approached the dying Hui-neng and asked, "Master, after you pass away, what should I do?" Hui-neng said, "You should go to Hsing-ssu." Shih-t'ou understood him to say "hsun-ssu " which means "seek thoughts." So he assumed that the master told him to practice watching his thoughts, a known method of meditation. Shih-t'ou was unaware that there was another disciple of Hui-neng by the name of Ch'ing-yuan Hsing-ssu (d. 740). After Hui-neng died, Shih-t'ou sought isolated places and spent his time there in zazen, neglecting all else. An elder monk in the assembly saw this and said, "What are you doing here in empty sitting?" Shih-t'ou replied, "I am only following my master's instructions. He told me to watch my thoughts." The elder said, "You should realize you have a senior Dharma brother whose name is Hsing-ssu. Why don't you go study with him?"

Indeed, the zazen which consists of sitting in a quiet -place, immersed in tranquility, is widely practiced. This kind of meditation, which Shih-t'ou used until he learned of his error, was also criticized by Hui-neng in the Transmission of the Lamp (Ching-te ch'uan teng lu):

If you just hold the mind and contemplate silently, this is a disease and not Ch'an. How does constantly sitting, restraining your body, actualize the principle (of attaining enlightenment)?

Peaceful zazen can enhance mental and physical health and even lead to samadhi, but "empty sitting" is ultimately an obstacle to genuine realization.