Master Ma Tsu sent a monk up the mountain to meet Ta Mei, who lived there in silence. Ta Mei who was one among the many disciples of Ma Tsu, lived on the mountain in seclusion, meditating. The master instructed the monk to come with an answer from Ta Mei for his question, "What did you learn when you called on the great master Ma Tsu and what made you to stay here?"

Ta Mei replied, "The great master revealed to me that the mind was Buddha and that is why I came to live here"

"But the master's Buddha Dharma is not the same now. It is different, " said the monk

Ta Mei enquired the monk of the change.

The monk replied, "The master now says that it is neither 'mind' nor 'Buddha'.

Ta Mei laughed and said, 'The old man is causing a lot of confusion in the minds of others. There is no end to this .Let him say that it is neither mind nor Buddha. According to me, 'mind is Buddha'

The monk reported his conversation with Ta Mei to Ma Tsu. The master was very happy and stated "The plum is now ripe," referring to Ta Mei's name which meant 'big plum." He said "The plum is ripe and I can't unsettle him!"